Among the wild Ngoni; being some chapters in the history of the Livingstonia Mission in British Central Africa

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Purchased by the Hamill Missionary Fund.

BV 3625 .M25 E42

Elmslie, Walter Angus,

1856

1935.

Among the wild Ngoni

AMONG THE WILD NGONI

BEING SOME CHAPTERS IN THE HISTORY

OF THE LIVINGSTONIA MISSION IN

BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA

W. A. ELMSLIE

M.B., CM., F.B.G.S.

Medical Missionary
WITH INTRODUCTION BY

THE RIGHT HON. LORD OVERTOUN

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
NEW YORK CHICAGO TORONTO

Publishers of Evangelical Literature

1899

MY WIFE

A TRUE QELPMEET IN ALL MY WORK

CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction ..... 5

CHAP.

I. Political History of the Ngoni . . 13

II. The Country and the People . . 31

III. Native Customs and Beliefs . . 51

IV. The State of the Country and the Begin-

ning OF the Mission Work . . 76

V. My First Visit to Mombera . . 105

VI. Meeting with the Head-men . . 119

VII. Mission Life and Work in the Early Days 138

VIII. The Rain Question . . .158

IX. In Memoriam : William Koyi . . 189

X. In Memoriam : James Sutherland . 209

XI. The Crisis : War, or the Gospel . 222

XII. In Memoriam : Dr Steele . . 253

XIII. Rearrangement of Stations and Growth

OF THE Work . . . . 283

ILLUSTKATIONS

Portrait of Dr and Mrs Elmslie

Frontispiece

Ngoni Warriors ....

LUNYANGWA RiVER, EkWENDENI

A Village Audience

PoKA Huts on Hillsides .

Sub-Chief and Body-guard

Ngoni Headmen, Ekwbndeni

A Village School

A Village School op Adults and Children and
HoRA Station Scholars

Nqoniland Staff at Njutu and Hora Mountain

Mr Sutherland, Artisan Missionary

Dr Steele ....

Dr Steele's Grave at Ekwendbni

Mr Stuart and Nqoniland Teachers

Map .....

PAGE

22
28
U
80
96
120
144

170
194
209
253
280
299
At end

INTRODUCTION

THE eyes of the world are on Africa, and the nations of
the West are eagerly engaged in exploring and an-
nexing land without asking the consent of the inhabitants.
Till far on in the century only the fringes of Africa were
known, the districts round the Cape up to Natal were
early colonised, while the West Coast was specially
known as the "White Man's Grave." The north, once
the abode of pirates, fell chiefly under French influence,
and the wondrous land of Egypt, stretching into the dim
past, has been the battlefield of hosts contending for its
possession. While the East Coast has languished under
Portuguese misrule and neglect, Egypt and the southern
regions have steadily advanced under British possession
and influence.

The southern portion of what has long been known as
the Dark Continent has been to a great extent civilised,
and while elements have not been wanting to degrade the
native races, much has been done to spread the Gospel and
the arts of peace. But during all these years the interior
of Africa was an unknown land, sometimes marked in maps
as " Desert," but believed to be the abode of horrid cruelty.
Explorers from Bruce to Speke, Thomson and Grant,
sought to penetrate its secrets, but the malarial climate,
the fever swamps and tangled forests, not to speak of wild
beasts and savage men, barred the way.

It was David Livingstone, a self-educated Scottish weaver,
who, inspired with the passion to discover the secret sources
of the Nile, and the mysteries of Central Africa, was raised
up by God to carry the Gospel message to those who, for
centuries, had sat in darkness and in the shadow of death.
This is not the place to recite how, time after time,

7

8 INTRODUCTION

he plunged alone into the dark land, and with a gentleness
which won his way, and a dauntless and persevering daring
which carried him through many perils, brought to light
the secrets of centuries, and blazed a path for civilisation
and the Gospel.

But his heart was wrung with the horrors of the dread-
ful slave trade which had decimated Africa for ages, and
caused the groans and sighs of her sons and daughters to
ascend to heaven.

On a May day in 1873, worn out by fatigue and cruel
fever, he was found dead by his faithful native boys,
kneeling as in prayer at the side of the rude bed in his
hut, amid the swamps of Lake Bangweolo.

Among his last written words were, " May Heaven's
rich blessing come down on every one — American, English,
Turk — who will help to heal this open sore of the world."

Carried by loving hands over a nine months' march,
his body was laid in Westminster Abbey in April 1874,
and the story of his life and death sent a thrill through
Christendom, and purposes were formed for the sending
of the Gospel to Central Africa.

Dr James Stewart of Lovedale was the first to move,
and the result was the formation of the Livingstonia
Mission by the Free Church of Scotland, the Blantyre
Mission by the Church of Scotland, the Universities' Mis-
sion by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and
the Tanganyika Mission by the London Missionary Society,
while later Moravians, Germans, and others followed.

The sphere chosen by the Livingstonia Mission was the
west shore of Lake Nyasa, an inland sea some 400 miles
long, discovered by Livingstone and Dr Stewart; and in
1875 the Ilala^ bearing the pioneers of the Mission, Dr
Laws and his helpers, steamed into the Lake and took
possession for Christ.

The first settlement at Cape Maclear, the south end of

INTRODUCTION 9

the Lake, had to be abandoned because of its unhealthy
climate, which cost the lives of several missionaries.
Moving to Bandawe, about half way up the West Coast
of Lake Nyasa, the pioneers settled there, surveyed the
land around, and began its conquest for the Gospel.

The story of the Livingstonia Mission is one of faithful
and persevering work in the face of untold difficulties.
Unknown langl^ages had to be mastered and reduced to
writing. Slavery and barbarism faced the Missionaries at
every point. An unknown tropical climate tried them to
the uttermost. When one fell at his post another stepped
into the breach. Supported by prayer, faith and patience,
they laboured on for years, till at last the seed sown in tears
took root and sprang up. Now the labourers are filled with
praise because God has given them to see fields white to the
harvest.

The work has been carried on all these years by men
and women, whose names shine as heroes in the Gospel
story, on four great lines : —

1. The direct proclamation of the Gospel.

2. Education of young and old.

3. Medical Mission work.

4. Industrial training.

These have all been carried on at each of five stations,
which all have many out-stations. In recent years a great
central Training Institution has been established at Kon-
dowi, to which the best pupils are drafted to be trained as
evangelists, teachers, and skilled artisans. There are now
some 500 resident and day students, and Dr Laws, who
has been the honoured head of the Mission since its be-
ginning, is in charge.

The Livingstonia Mission seeks to evangelise a field of
about 300 miles long by 100 miles broad. There are now
7 native churches with over 1000 members, 85 schools with
11,000 scholars, and 300 native teachers and preachers.

lo INTRODUCTION

While the whole field is full of the deepest interest, and
each tribe has its own character, traditions and peculiarities,
one of the tribes is dominant. The Ngoni, of whom the
following pages tell, are the warriors of the country, of
Zulu race, with splendid physique and qualities, but steeped
for centuries in superstition, bloodshed, and cruelty. The
fascinating story told by Dr Elmslie of the rise of Chaka's
kingdom, of the seas of blood shed by him and his war-
riors, accompanied by untold cruelties, and all for lack of
the Gospel unsent by sleeping Christendom, should stir the
hearts of many to send the message of peace where it has
not yet gone.

Dr Elmslie, who with his devoted wife has just sailed
for Africa to begin his third term of service, vividly
pictures the lofty plateau of Ngoniland, with its native
villages and the dark background of vice and cruelty
which lies behind the village life, with the horrors of the
slave trade which harried peaceful homes, leaving the
smoking ruins, while the inmates were massacred, or re-
served for a more cruel fate, and how their perils drove
the people to live in swamps or inaccessible rocks.

The first advance of the missionaries to Ngoniland was in
1878 in the face of much personal danger. The first inter-
views with Mombera and his bloodthirsty chiefs, picture not
only the danger of the situation, but the faith, courage, and
tact of the men who, taking their lives in their hands, went
as ambassadors of Christ to these bloodstained savages.

They were worth winning for Christ, but it was a long
story of alternating hope and fear, of patience and trial.
The inquisitive questions, the insatiable and insolent greed
shown to the missionaries, who were known not only to have
brought " The Book," but calico and beads, were most trying.

The story of William Koyi, a Kafir Christian trained at
Lovedale, and how, with Christian tact and patience, he
disarmed suspicion, and secured for himself and his Euro-

INTRODUCTION ii

peans the friendship of Mombera and his people, has seldom
been equalled in the missionary field.

To preach to the people was at first well-nigh impossible,
the time of sowing had not yet come, much less the reap-
ing; but the influence of his humble Christian life and
example in the face of danger and difficulty, won at last
the respect and love of the Ngoni tribe. Dr Elmslie touch-
ingly tells how William Koyi, the faithful worker, heard
on his dying bed that full permission had been given to
teach and preach the Gospel, and with " nunc dimittis " on
his lips went to his reward in 1886.

For full three years the pioneers laboured, prayed, and
watched. The medical aid given helped them to win their
way among the people, who wondered why they remained
when no one would receive their message.

There came the first tiny blade when three youths came
like Nicodemus at night to inquire, but these first-fruits
met with bitter opposition, and Dr Elmslie and his faithful
helpers were sorely tried by dangers, anxieties, fever, and
disappointment. Then came the turning-point when, after
a long drought, rain fell in response to the white men's
prayers, and a new era began.

Mrs Elmslie's arrival created a fresh interest ; work was
begun among the girls, as had been done by Mrs Laws at
Bandawe, and after a while, on the people's own proposal,
they had a harvest thanksgiving to God.

Dr Elmslie tells the life-story of James Sutherland of
Wick, converted in connection with D. L. Moody's mission
there, who faithfully laboured with the Doctor amid dangers
and difficulties, and who, before his death, showed such en-
thusiasm that when, in consequence of murderous threats,
plans were made for the missionaries leaving, Sutherland
had arranged to become a slave to one of the Ngoni in order
to remain as a witness for God among the people.

The story of the exorcising of spirits, of Dr Laws' visit.

12 INTRODUCTION

and the terrible suspense which the missionaries passed
through, lead up to the first baptism in 1890. Then Dr Steele
began his too brief work, which for five years brightened
the band of workers, till his valued life was laid down.

In 1892 the first Ngoni woman was baptised ; two years
later Miss Stewart joined the workers, and that year 760
children attended school.

Then the most northern station was opened at Mwenzo
by Mr and Mrs Dewar and the Training Institution was
started at Kondowi, above Florence Bay.

While Europeans must be pioneers (and God has given
the Livingstonia Mission a splendid stafi), the evangelisa-
tion of Africa must be done by Africa's sons, and the 500
students in training at the Institution who will soon be
the craftsmen, teachers, evangelists, and pastors of British
Central Africa.

The Rev. Donald Fraser, who has been nearly a year
in Ngoniland, has had the joy of helping the earlier
labourers in the reaping of the harvest which now gladdens
the hearts of all. At Ekwendeni he joined the Eev. James
Henderson and others in a great Communion service when
195 sat at the Lord's Table, in presence of 4000 natives.
In two days 198 adults and 89 children were baptised.

The scenes so graphically described in these pages, of
warriors who once marched in impis to bloodshed and
cruelty, now marching in hundreds to a Gospel gathering,
witnessing the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and
Baptism with reverent interest ; of the night air vocal with
hymns where once the war-cry was heard; of peaceful homes
and cultivated land, all tell of the triumph of the Gospel of
God, and how, through the labours of Dr Laws, Dr Elmslie
and their noble band as well as those who have gone to
their rest, the wilderness and the solitary place is glad for
them and the desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose.

OVERTOUN.

I

CHAPTER I

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI

N order to understand the present cliaracter of
^ the Ngoni it is necessary to go back to the
dawn of the present century and to South
Africa, the cradle of these people. The mighty
movements of barbarous fanatics in recent tinaes,
such as those in the Soudan and elsewhere, sink
into insignificance when compared with those
that give rise to the presence of the Ngoni in
British Central Africa and in German East
Africa, not to speak of the Matabele who gave
so much trouble to the British, or the other
branches of the same race which had to be
proceeded against by Portuguese arms.

In a district somewhere on, or near, the Tugela
river, which now forms the northern boundary
of the colony of Natal, there was born, as the
century dawned, a child with a reputed miracu-
lous origin but fathered by Senzangakona, chief
of the then insignificant Zulu tribe. His mother,
fearing for his life, fled with him to the court

14 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of a neighbouring and more powerful chief,
named Dingiswayo, ruling the Amatetwa. Here
he was received and cared for until he attained
to manhood. Umnandi {i.e. the pleasant one)
the mother of Chaka, as the child was named,
remained with him. Dingiswayo was at that
time the most powerful chief in the district
stretching from Natal to Delagoa Bay. He
had, in the early part of his life, been compelled
to flee into what is now part of Cape Colony,
and while exiled is supposed to have come into
some knowledge of carrying on war by organised
regiments and companies.

Thus through Europeans came the impulse
which, as we shall see, was destined to have
such awful results in the life and history of in-
dividuals and tribes over nearly half the length
of Africa. On gaining the chieftainship of his
tribe Dingiswayo organised his army in regiments,
and otherwise improved its means of carrying
desolation over a wide area. Chaka, during his
stay with Dingiswayo, had no doubt ample oppor-
tunity for studying the art of war and seems to
have done so successfully. He even improved on
Dingiswayo's methods, and was not satisfied that
conquered tribes should be so generously treated
as they were by being incorporated as vassals
of the paramount chief Chaka saw in this a

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI 15

source of insecurity and formed the idea of so
disorganising or crushing them that they would
be incapable of rising against the chief. No
doubt it was his education in war and bloodshed
that bore its fruits when, as a young man, he
ascended the throne of his father by causing the
death of his brother, to supplant whom he had
returned to the Zulu tribe against the wish of
Dingiswayo. As Dingiswayo had opposed his
pretensions to rule he had him " removed " soon
after.

With this Chaka our history of the Ngoni
begins. His brief reign of seven or eight years
was a period in which more blood was shed, and
greater upheaval among native tribes induced,
than in any other country in the world. As a
writer says, "War poisoned all enjoyment, cut
off all that sustains life, turned thousands of
square miles into literally a howling wilderness,
shed rivers of blood, annihilated whole com-
munities, turned the members of others into
cannibals, and caused miseries and sufferings, the
full extent of which can never now be known,
and which, if ever known, could not be told."
These words were written on the death of Chaka
in 1828, and although it is estimated that over a
million human beings owed their death either
directly or indirectly to Chaka, it is not im-

1 6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

probable that over the region which the wave of
war and bloodshed travelled, even more than
that number were slain in battle, massacred in
their villages, or driven into the wilds to die
of starvation.

The last of the chiefs to be conquered by
Chaka was Zwide, under whom Zongandaba and
other chiefs (formerly independent) ruled over
districts and acted as commanders of divisions
of his army. In a great battle with Zwide and
all his chiefs Chaka was victorious, as the proud
Ngoni are careful to state, through the deception
of a man named Noluju, who was a political
prisoner with Zwide and who desired to '*pay
out " Zwide for some wrong done him. This
Noluju went to Chaka and arranged that, on the
attack being made, he would mislead the army
of Zwide. Arranging that Chaka's army should
camp by some favourable watering-place, he
guided Zwide's force to a barren place and left
it there, under pretence of going to spy out
Chaka's position. When they were faint from
thirst he guided them to where the water was,
but Chaka attacked them, killing many and
putting the rest to flight. The difierent chiefs
who had thus been united under Zwide again
sought independence by leaving the country,
and the Ngoni who are now in British Central

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI 17

Africa then began their wanderings, every step
of which is marked by blood as we shall see.
Of Noluju it is related that, having returned
home to get his wives, he set out for another
place in which to live. Lying at night in his
booth in the forest and evidently congratulating
himself on having paid out Zwide for his treat-
ment of him, he put his thoughts in song, native-
wise, and sang, " He forgets who did the wrong,
but he forgets not who was wronged." Zwide's
spies, sent to chase him, heard the song and fell
on him and killed them all. The life and fate of
this unit illustrates the life and fate of many
tribes. Noluju's song was a paean and a
prophecy, and he himself the subject.

Although the Ngoni lived under Zwide they
were not in entire subjection to him,^ and on
occasion, as their own tributaries have done since,
they rose in rebellion. As illustrating how, even
in those dark days, right principle was not with-
out a witness, and was found in the heart of a
woman, and how the superstitions of the people
enter into and influence every act of their life,
the following native narrative may be given.

Zwide, who had attacked Zongandaba, was
taken prisoner, and on being released after some
months was sent home under escort with a gift
of many cattle. His pride was wounded by this

B

iS AMONG THE WILD NGONI

insult from one of his vassals, and he determined
on revenge. His mother opposed it, but to her
he would not give heed. She devised a plan
to strike fear into the hearts of the soldiers. In
the words of a native, it is stated that " his
mother reasoned with him, saying, ' My child,
shall the Ngoni perish ? Did they not send you
back, giving you many fat cattle with you 1 Is
it right to go out to war against them ? ' But
Zwide gave no heed to his mother's words, and
called together his soldiers. On the day when
they were being reviewed, the mother of Zwide,
having planned to make the soldiers afraid, went
into the cattle-fold (it was not permissible for
women to do so) where the soldiers were.
Standing in their midst she unloosed her skirt
and stood exposed among them. The soldiers
seeing her thus wondered greatly, and Zwide
also wondered. The soldiers declared that it
was an omen, that perhaps an ancestral spirit
had prompted her to do thus, and they, being
afraid to go out, were disbanded forthwith. So
Lowawa, Zwide's mother, prevailed."

On the breaking up of Zwide's combined force,
Zongandaba and other petty chiefs led off sections
of the tribe in quest of new lands, as they could
not retain their old country against the growing
power of Chaka. They had been conquered, but

THE HISTORT OF THE NGONJ 19

they liad evidently been impressed by Chaka's
methods, and resolved to follow them. No doubt
also they appropriated the fame of Chaka and
would be looked upon with fear by the weaker
tribes they resolved on attacking. They passed
through the Swazi country, attacking the people,
impressing many to join them and capturing
many cattle. Not many of the Swazi tribe lived
to settle with the Ngoni west of Nyasa, but the
oldest person in the country, probably, is a Swazi
woman whose husband was a contemporary of
Zongandaba, and afterwards a sub-chief of
Mombera's. Having increased their strength
and wealth by this attack on the Swazis, the
horde then entered Tongaland to the west of
Delagoa Bay, and settled for a time on the lower
reaches of the Limpopo river. They crossed the
Nkomati river near where there is now a station
of the Basel Mission. Here a petty chief of
Chaka, named Nqaba, with a following came
upon them and there was a battle. Nqaba was
driven back, but Zongandaba did not feel safe
even there from an attack by Chaka. Having
added to their force and their wealth by annexing
many Tonga and their cattle, they went towards
the west and attacked the Karanga tribe. Here,
as among the Tonga, they instructed them in
their methods of warfare and were gaining in

20 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

power by these additions. After a short resi-
dence among the Karanga another move was
made towards the north, and they arrived in
June 1825 at the Zambezi somewhere between
Zumbo and Tette.

Here it may be of interest to turn aside and
complete our narrative of the waves of bloodshed
set rolling by Chaka, by glancing at the rise of
two kingdoms south of the Zambezi, under two
chiefs driven out by him about the time that the
Ngoni began their wanderings. The first is that
of Gazaland, first occupied by Sotshangane who
fought with Zongandaba under Zwide against
Chaka, and fled at the same time. We may safely
infer that his progress northward was marked by
blood, and that he and his successor Umzila did
not organise their vast kingdom, before then
composed of many small tribes, without much
more bloodshed. But who can tell what sufi'ering
and death resulted ? When Umzila died, his son
Gungunhana succeeded, and in the recent open-
ing up of Africa he has given as much trouble to
the Portuguese as the Matabele have given to
the British.

The other great power for evil springing up
at this time was Umziligazi, who fled from the
tyranny of Chaka and settled in the north of the
Transvaal. His name inspired terror through

THE HISTORT OF THE NGONI 21

a vast region, as he completely subjugated or
destroyed every tribe from whose opposition he
had anything to dread. Eeaders of " Robert
and Mary Mofiat" will remember that this is
" the scourge of the Bechuanas," " the Napoleon
of South Africa," to whom Dr Moffat went first
in 1829. Afterwards, when he had removed
further north, Dr Moffat travelled 700 miles
to see him and seek his salvation. Umziligazi
formed a strong attachment to Dr Moffat, which
was continued for thirty-nine years, until he died
in 1868. The accounts given by Dr MofiJat of
these visits should be read by every one, but I
cannot help quoting from his biography by his
son, referred to above. It describes Dr Moffat's
farewell to the great chief in 1860, when the
veteran laid down his work at Inyati where the
Mission had been planted. " On Sunday morn-
ing, the 17th June, he walked up to the chief's
kraal, for the purpose of speaking to Umziligazi
and his people for the last time on the great
themes of life, death, and eternity. As we
followed him along the narrow path, from our
camp to the town about a mile distant, winding
through fields and around patches of uncleared
primeval forest, no step was more elastic and no
frame more upright than his. In spite of un-
ceasing toil and tropical heats and miasmatic

22 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

exhalations, in spite of cares and disappointments,
his wonderful energy seemed unabated. The old
chief was as usual in his large court-yard, and
gave kindly greeting. They were a strange con-
trast as they sat side by side — the Matabele
tyrant and his friend the messenger of peace.
The word of command was given ; the warriors
filed in and arranged themselves in a great semi-
circle, sitting on the ground, the women crept
as near as they could, behind huts and other
points of concealment, and all listened in breath-
less silence to the last words of ' Moshete.' He
himself knew that they were his last words, and
that his work in Matabeleland was now given
over to younger hands. It was a solemn service,
and closed the long series of such, in which the
friend of Umziligazi had striven to pierce the
dense darkness of soul which covered him and his
people. On the morrow there was the last leave-
taking, and Mofifat started for his distant home."

Lobengula succeeded his father Umziligazi ;
the progress and end of his evil reign are fresh
in the mind of everyone.

As soon as the Ngoni had crossed the Zambezi
it is said they were in the country of the Senga.
These are not the Senga now living on the
Loangwa further north, of whom more hereafter.
Their languages are quite distinct. The Senga

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI 23

tribe being an easy prey to the Ngoni (who must
now have been very numerous, composed of the
original stock, and the Swazi, Tonga, and
Karanga additions by the way) at once sub-
mitted and were incorporated. They rested in
this district, eating up the food of the country
and initiating the Senga into the use of their
weapons of war, the shield and spear.

Leaving the country of the Senga, consider-
ably increased by the addition of that people,
they journeyed north, evidently along the water-
shed of the Loangwa river, until they came
into the district named Matshulu which was
inhabited by Tumbuka, who went under the
name of Amamatshulu. The Tumbuka tribe had
evidently covered a wide area, but as they lived
in small villages of two or three huts they may
not have been so very numerous. The Tumbuka
are a very industrious agricultural people, and
having been unable to resist the Ngoni horde
they submitted, and laboured to supply the
needs of their conquerors. The Ngoni are said
to have lived for a comparatively long period in
the Matshulu district, and here began a condition
of things in Zongandaba's following which may
have delayed their northward progress for three
or ten years, as it is variously estimated by
natives. It was at any rate a " killing time,"

24 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

which has impressed itself on the minds of the
people to this day. Zongandaba had no doubt
conceived that he could best conserve the in-
terests and combine the influence of those he
had conquered and incorporated, by appointing
certain of each tribe as his advisers. He had a
council composed of Tonga principally, and his
original followers began to be jealous of them,
and of Zongandaba's evident love for them. The
Tumbuka, adepts at witchcraft practices, they
impressed into their service. Charges of witch-
craft were brought against the leading members
of the Tonga tribe, and by the aid of the Tum-
buka doctors and their incantations, Zongandaba
was incited repeatedly to organize an army and
destroy a whole village at a time. None in the
village were spared, and during their stay in
Matshulu nearly all the Tonga were massacred
in this way. To this day to say "People were
killed at Matshulu " is to emphasise a large
number as quoted. It was evident that dis-
content and thirst for power had appeared to
disorganize the hitherto united band, and it is
said that, after this, Zongandaba became very
despotic and approached to having the character
of Chaka. Such a heterogeneous collection of
men would doubtless produce a despotic ruler.
Only one or two Tonga who had left their own

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI 25

country were spared to the end of the Ngoni
wanderings, but some of their children are still
living.

Having again taken their road northward
they came to the district they name Mapupo,
inhabited by the Sukuma. The district lies near
the south end of Tanganyika and is now on the
maps as the Fipa district. Here Zongandaba
died, after which tlie tribe suffered several dis-
ruptions. While in this district, and combined,
they carried war northward on the east of Tan-
ganyika ; eastward as far as the Nkonde tribes
at the north end of Lake Nyasa, and south-east-
ward to the Henga, then living in the mountain-
ous country near the Rukuru river, a few days'
journey from their present location, which was
the country of the Tumbuka originally.

At the disruption the chief sections were : 1.
That under Ntabeni which went northward on
the west side of Tanganyika, where in 1879 they
were heard of by the late Mr Stewart. 2. Ntutu
led another section northward on the east side of
Tanganyika ; of these Stanley in his " Through
the Dark Continent" says, "No traveller has yet
become acquainted with a wilder race in Equa-
torial Africa than that of the Mafitte (Maviti)
or Watuta. They are the only true African
Bedawi ; and surely some African Ishmael must

26 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

have fathered them, for their hands are against
every man, and every man's hand appears to be
raised against them. . . . The Watuta became
separated from the Mafitte (Maviti or Ngoni) by
an advance in search of plunder and cattle."
They carried war and bloodshed over a vast
extent of country, as may be seen by a glance
at a map of Central Africa. Considering that
they were only a sub-section of the Ngoni, the
following graphic description of their expedi-
tion will indicate the tremendous wave which
Chaka set rolling over twenty-six degrees of
latitude. Mr Stanley continues : ** The separa-
tion {i.e. of the section referred to above as
led by Ntutu) occurred some thirty years ago
(1840). On their incursion they encountered
the Warori who possessed countless herds of
cattle. They fought with them for two months
at one place, and three months at another ; and
at last, perceiving that the Warori were too
strong for them — many of them having been
killed in the war, and a large number of them
(now known as the Wahehe, and settled near
Ugogo) having been cut off from the main body,
— the Watuta skirted Urori, and advanced north-
west through Ukonongo and Kawendi to Ujiji.
It is in the memory of the oldest Arab residents
at Ujiji how the Watuta suddenly appeared and

THE HISTORT OF THE NGONI 27

drove them and the Wajiji to take refuge upon
Bangwe Island.

" Not glutted with conquest by their triumph
at Ujiji, they attacked Urundi ; but here they
met different foes altogether from the negroes of
the south. They next invaded Uhha, but the
races which occupy the intra-lake regions had
competent and worthy champions in the Wahha.
Baffled at Uhha and Urundi, they fought their
devastating path across Uvinza and entered
Unyamwezi, penetrated Uzumbwa, Utambara,
Urangwa, Uyofu, and so through Uzinja to the
Victoria Nyanza, where they rested some years
after their daring exploit. They ultimately re-
turned and settled in Ugomba, between Uhha
and Unyamwezi. They are called by the Nyam-
wezi Ngoni."

3. The third section is that over which Mombera
was appointed chief. Mtwaro should have been
chief, but he resigned in favour of Mombera, as
being of a quiet disposition ; he felt the burden
of ruling such a jealous, discontented people as
they had become would be too great for him.
Under Mombera there were his brothers Mtwaro,
Mperembe, Mpezeni and Maurau. This section
moved eastward to a place called Tshidhlodhlo,
the locality only being known now as somewhere
about the north end of Nyasa. Here a great

28 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

battle was fought, and the Gwangwara, over-
coming the others under Mombera, drove them
back in a southerly direction. The Gwangwara,
in settling on the east side of Lake Nyasa, form
the outmost ripple of the wave on that side, and
they have carried fire and sword southward into
Yaoland, and as far as Masasi, the station of the
Universities' Mission. Those under Mombera at
this point suffered a disruption. Mperembe and
Mpezeni broke off. Mperembe returned to at-
tack the Bemba to the south of Tanganyika, and
Mpezeni went south and settled where he now is,
west of the southern extremity of Lake Nyasa.
Chiwere, a head man, went off with a following,
and settled west of Kotakota. Mombera's division
first settled in Henga (the lower reaches of the
Rukuru river), and subjugated the Henga section
of the Tumbuka tribe, ultimately entering the
Tumbuka country proper, on the south-west of
Choma mountain. Being joined again by
Mperembe, they have continued to occupy the
valleys of the Lunyangwa, Kasitu and Rukuru.
They defeated and began to govern the Tumbuka
and Tonga on their arriving there, and have only
a few years ago given up their predatory habits.

What might not have happened had the dawn
of this century witnessed the enthusiasm of the
Christian Church in the cause of foreign missions

THE HISTORY OF THE NGONI 29

which is a feature of its close ! What achieve-
ments for Christ there might have been ! Here
we stand at the Zambezi and look back at the
reigns of Dingiswayo, Chaka and Zwide, and
see the rise and fall of kingdoms ; rivers of
blood shed; a million or more massacred, con-
demned to cannibalism, or to death by starva-
tion ; fathers slaying their children, and children
their fathers; and God's fair earth made worse
than hell — all for want of the Gospel. We see
before us a horde of barbarians, their faces set to
the north, who, over hundreds and hundreds of
miles, are to spread death and desolation ere the
Gospel comes to them to make them new men.
Had the Gospel been brought to Dingiswayo's
kraal then, what a different history of South and
Central Africa could have been written ! There
was then a more open door to these regions than
there has been in these later days, according to
the history of missions in Zululand, Matabeleland,
Gazaland, the Upper Zambezi, Nyasaland, and
away round Nyasa by the country dominated by
the Gwangwara, who are Ngoni, down through
Yaoland, for all were affected by the convulsions
induced in Chaka's time. We read of Dingiswayo
in the beginning of this century opening a trade
with the Portuguese at Delagoa Bay, giving liberal
rewards to his people for inventive or imitative

30 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

genius displayed in the production of things with
which he might trade with the Portuguese, and
having a karosse manufactory, in which a hundred
men were employed. These were days of peace
and industry such as have not been found any-
where else on the arrival of missionaries in those
regions. Again, in the days of Chaka, over whom
one or two Europeans (Messrs Fynn, Farewell,
and Isaacs) seem to have had great influence,
gained by fair dealing and medical skill, one of
them wrote : " On one occasion, as I have before
related, when we communicated to him our
opinions on the existence of God, who made the
world, and of a future state, and told them that
by a knowledge of letters all our confidence of
being immortal beings had arisen, he expressed
surprise, and wished much that the doctors or
missionaries would come to him, and teach him
to acquire this knowledge. The greatest state of
ignorance on this sublime subject pervaded him.
But I have ever been impressed forcibly from the
desire he manifested to have among his people
missionaries whom, he said, he would protect and
reward, that he might have been brought to some
sense of reason on this important point, so neces-
sary for the promoting of civilization." But the
Church of Christ was at the time iornorant of her

o

duty, and was not impressed by the opportunity
of extending her Lord's kingdom.

CHAPTER II

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY

THE physical features of Ngoniland may be
denoted in a few words. Situated about
4000 feet above the sea-level it has little or
nothing to suggest its being in the tropics, save
the daily course of the sun and the periodic
rains. There are no broad sluggish rivers whose
muddy banks are covered with mangrove thicket,
above which rise giant trees and stately palms
such as are usually associated with pictures of
tropical scenery. Leaving Lake Nyasa at an
altitude of 1500 feet we have to cross the broken
mountain ranges, rising in some cases to 7000
feet, which form the eastern boundary of Ngoni-
land. From the heights we behold hundreds of
square miles of open undulating country, whose
low wooded hills run north and south for most
part, the broad valleys being traversed by
streams which become roaring torrents during
the brief rainy season, but at other times are
small and easily forded. Looking over the

32 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

country at our feet, we are struck by its treeless-
ness, save on the crowns of the low hills. Here
and there we find single large trees and, at
intervals, dark green patches which look like
fields of green corn, but which are in reality
patches of bush composed of fresh shoots from
the roots of trees cut down, which features
denote dry unfruitful soil not worth tilling. It
is evident that, at one time, the whole country
was covered by dense forests of large trees, which
have been ruthlessly cut down for fire-wood, or,
as is more frequently the case, to be burned on
the ground as manure for new gardens. The
intervening ground, if viewed in the dry season,
appears as bare, whitish, or yellowish-red soil,
as the extensive gardens are then empty and the
grass burned up. It is not easy to pick out the
villages as the colour of the dried thatch accords
with that of the bare ground and renders them
not readily visible. The most conspicuous
feature of the district is the innumerable ant-
hills scattered over the plains. Seen from a
distance they resemble stacks of hay in a field.
They are the product of the white ant, the most
destructive pest we have, a full account oi which
is given in a most interesting way in Prof.
Drummond's " Tropical Africa." The ant-hills
in Ngoniland are larger than any to be seen

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRT 33

elsewhere. They are not the turret-shaped
variety to be seen in the low countries, but arc
huge mounds in many instances 50 feet in cir-
cumference at the base and 20 feet in height.
The clay composing these mounds is very suitable
for brick-making, and from even one ant-hill
a whole Mission station could be built.

The villages are situated near the streams or
fountains. The native has no idea of bringing
water to his town save by the usual beast of
burden — woman, and so the presence of water
decides where the village is to be built. He
can drive his cattle far enough to pasture, or go
miles and cultivate his garden, but water which
is needed every day has to be carried, and the
women who have to do that have some voice in
the choice of a site for a town. The low hills
form natural divisions between chiefs' and sub-
chiefs' districts,, and consequently, while Ngoni-
land is perhaps 100 miles long by 60-80 broad,
the villages are mainly in groups around the
large town of the chief or sub-chief, and are
easily overtaken by district schools and evan-
gelistic agencies.

The towns and villages are not permanent
locations. Every three or four years the inmates
find it necessary to make new homes, and a
fresh start in life as regards domiciliary comforts.

34 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

The wliite ant attacks the wood and grass of tlie
hut ; the bugs, tampans and jiggers, disturb the
peace of the inmate ; and the accumulations of
filth around the village make life unbearable
even to the native ; he is forced to seek a new
home.

Removing a village to a new site was one of
the great events in the history of the people.
It marked a division in his calendar and became
a point by which he could locate events. It was
one of the occasions when he had to be religious,
and so the removal was inaugurated by certain
religious rites. The cattle are the sustenance and
the bond of the family, the village, and the tribe.
The care of the cattle in the new town was first
seen to. The size of the fold having been
decided upon, and marked ofi" by making a circle,
it was built of trees and shrubs, at first of a
temporary nature, because by tradition it had to
be begun after sunrise, finished, and the cattle
folded before sunset, on the same day. When
the cattle were driven in, the religious ceremonies
conducted by the divining doctor were further
developed, by selecting a certain beast as a
sacrifice to the village ancestral spirit. This
beast would ultimately be killed for the spirit,
and eaten by the people when the village was
occupied. Although many religious rites of the

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY 35

people appear to us grotesque and unreal, yet
a close examination of them proves the existence
of their belief in a Providence, a Judge, and an
Almighty King, but we cannot stop to unfold
the matter here. The huts of the people are
built in circles around the cattle-fold. Like
everything the native makes they are circular,
and he points to the sun, moon, and horizon as a
reason why they should be so. A few sticks set
in the ground and plastered inside, with a
wattled roof covered with grass, constitutes the
native hut. He does not use it as a shelter
from the sun but from cold, and its circular
form reflects heat and renders it comfortable
in the cold nights which are experienced on
the hills.

The size of the hut depends upon the position
of the master; it is from 10 to 20 feet in
diameter, but the walls are not more than from
4 to 8 feet in height. The roof comes down
nearly to the ground, and so a cool verandah
is formed, under which the inmates can enjoy
their siesta, or congregate on wet days to in-
dulge in their favourite pastime — gossip — or
perform their toilet, the women requiring a long
time, owing to their manner of dressing the hair.
The huts are single-roomed of course, the inner
part being the storehouse for seed, corn, pots, and

36 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

other utensils required in the daily round. The
fire is made in a circular depression in the middle
of the floor, and the cooking-pot is set on three
stones above the fire, which is always of wood.
The smoke finds an exit by the door or through
the roof, and the rafters are covered by soot
which protects them from the attacks of white
ants. One can tell the direction of the prevailing
wind, by the colour of the outside thatch being
browned by smoke on the leeward side. In days
by-gone the floors of the huts of the better
classes were like polished ebony. Clay was
beaten hard and smooth while drying, and after
being polished by rubbing with smooth stones,
the floor was smeared with ox-bloo.d and polished
again. In ordinary cases the floors and open
space in front of the hut were smeared with
fresh cow-dung subsequently scraped ofi" by hand ;
this left a clean and cool floor free from dust
in which fleas could breed. The brick floors of
many Mission houses are regularly treated in the
same way, and it is found to be a good plan for
preserving the floors intact. In the days when
every Ngoni was a warrior, it was the work of
the women to build and repair the huts, as well as
cultivate the gardens, but now the men share the
work, and all that the women do is to collect grass
for thatch, plaster the walls, and make the floors.

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY 37

But before the huts are built — as the village is
always built in autumn — the grain-stores have to
be erected for the crops to be reaped. They are
made by plaiting reeds into huge baskets 5 or
6 feet high and as many in diameter, which are
placed on platforms a foot or more from the
ground. Sometimes they too are plastered, but
only on the outside, and when the mealies or
millet stored in them have been well dried, a
grass roof is put on prior to the rains. These
grain-stores are built between the huts and the
cattle-fold. The huts are arranged in groups
walled off from each other by reed fences, so that
each man with his wives' huts, and those of his
slaves, if he has any, has a distinct locality in the
village. The huts of the headman or chief and
his seraglio and slaves, are situated always at the
opposite side from the cattle-fold gate, from which
a broad road leads to the watering or pasture.
The space at the kraal gate is the public room of
the village where anyone may go, and where we
usually have our services, but inside the cattle-
fold all indahas (cases) are talked, and the
village dances take place.

Such is the description of a native village.
Around the huts the smooth beaten ground is
swept every day, and when once inside the
village, one's sensitiveness is not offended, but

38 AMONG THE WILD NGONJ

the serious matter is the approach. Good for the
natives is it that their bodies cannot always
endure the incessant attack of certain insects
inhabiting the huts, and that they are compelled
every three or four years to build a new village
and burn everything connected with the old one.
There is not the slightest attempt at sanitary
arrangements. The ashes from the fires, the
refuse of maize, the sweepings of the village, and
filth of all kinds find their place just round the
village behind the outer row of huts. The state
of filth around is indescribable. After a year or
two the tampan, one of the greatest and most
prevalent pests of Africa, multiplies in the huts,
and so at length, more from that than because of
the general collapse of the village, the natives
have to make a new one. The tampan is a
thousand times more annoying than the bug of
which also there is usually a good supply. It is
larger when full grown than a sheep-tick, of a
dirty-grey colour, and so tough as not to be
easily killed by crushing. The sight of them,
even before one has experienced their bite, is
most repulsive. They are not to be seen during
the day as they enter the cracks in the roughly-
plastered huts, or hide in the roof, but no sooner
has one lain down, than they come out and feed
off" him. Their bite is very irritating, and has

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY

39

the reputation of producing fever, dysentery, and
other troubles. The effect of the bite appears to
be dependent on the physical condition of the
individual at the time of the attack. I have
been bitten when there have been no effects per-
ceptible except the discomfort locally. At other
times a night or two in a native hut has almost
completely laid me down — the feeling of malaise
and tendency to sickness were very pronounced.
The tampan seems to be common all over Africa,
and a species from Egypt is named Argas
savignyi, with which those in Central Africa
are closely allied. The sleeping-place of native
servants on the stations cannot be kept free from
them. The boys bring them from the villages
in their clothes, but ordinary care prevents their
entrance into the missionary's rooms. Indeed
from that and other commoner organisms, when-
ever I returned home from a tour on which I had
to reside in native huts, I was put in quarantine
as a precaution.

When the natives leave their old village the
huts are burned down, except those belonging to
deceased persons, which are left to fall to pieces,
as the spirits are supposed still to visit them. On
the site of an old village for many years they sow
maize, and I have seen it 1 2 feet high and growing
so closely together as to be scarcely penetrable.

40 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

Let us spend a day in such a village. The
native is an early riser. Ere the sun has ap-
peared, men and women are out of doors. The
cow-herds have gone to milk the cattle before
driving them out to the bush, where they browse
all day and are brought home at sunset, when
they are again milked. The women set off to
the river with a big earthen pot on the head, and
return with it full of water — such-like exercise
giving the native women that grace of carriage
which would be the envy of ladies in civilized
countries. The native woman can carry twice
as much as a man on her head. If the village
is dependent on water from a fountain it is
"first come best served." I have been march-
ing through a fountain country at four o'clock in
the morning, and seen women and girls running
to the fountains at that hour, in hope of finding
sufficient water before the others come. Then
the woman has the firewood to gather, the
maize to pound in a wooden mortar and grind
into flour for the evening meal. She has to find
the umhido (green herbs) which, in the absence
of meat, is required as a relish with the stiff
maize porridge which is the staple diet of man,
woman, and child. She has a large part of the
day in the dry season in which she may gossip
with her neighbours, or lie down and sleep in

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRT 41

the cool verandah of her hut. As evening comes
on she has again to visit the river with her
water-pot, and cook the food for the men, who
eat apart, no woman venturing to eat along with
her husband or in the presence of a man. In
the rainy season she has hard work indeed,
having to work in the gardens in addition to her
household duties. The one thing a woman tries
to excel in, and gain a reputation for, is the
making of beer. Brewing is solely woman's
work. She is privileged to preside at the beer-
drinking, and usually ends all by becoming in-
toxicated. She may not eat with her husband
or his friends, but she may get drunk along with
them. At other times she has to reverence her
husband by not pronouncing his name, unless
she swears by it, but at beer-drinkings no rule
binds her save that her beer ought to make those
who partake of it drunk. These beer-feasts end
in quarrels and evil of every kind.

A very bad custom obtains in connection with
planting and reaping which produces much
drunkenness. The meagre hoeing given to the
ground necessitates the cultivation of vast
stretches of garden ground, in order to plant
the year's supply of food. To get the ground
hoed and planted, householders, who have many
gardens, invite labourers by carrying large pots

42 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of strong beer to the garden. There is no lack
of willing workers who drink and shout and,
in the end, quarrel and fight, sometimes laying
each other's heads open with a blow from their
hoes. These scenes are utterly degrading and
nothing but a heartier desire for honest work by
each owner of a garden, and thoroughly cultivat-
ing a smaller tract, will put down these scenes.
Then when hundreds of baskets of maize and
other grain have to be carried home, or the beer
crop cut stalk by stalk and gathered, help is again
required, and a beer-drinking brings together
the workers. Our teachers have set their faces
against this vile custom and have instituted a
feast — mutton or goat-flesh and porridge — when
help is required, and thus a step towards a better
state of things has been taken.

The work is done principally by the inferior
wives, if a man has more than one. The head-
wife, however, is the overseer and, in a poly-
gamous household, if her favourites are not for
the time being also her husband's favourites, she
makes it hot enough for those whom she con-
siders to be too attractive to him. There are
frequent brawls, but should a man strike a wife
or any woman he is branded indelibly as a bad
man and may as well go and hang himself. The
multitude of his wives do not bring him peace.

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY 43

The wordy warfare is often sharp and long and,
in a measure, he has to guard his words lest a
wife be driven away to her father's house, in
which case, if the cause was sufficient, she may
remain away having as her portion the cattle
that were paid for her when she was betrothed.
I have seen a man hurrying after a raging wife
who was en route for her father's house, and it
was anything but a dignified position even for a
native to be in. On one occasion a man came to
beg cloth from me to settle an indaba he had.
On enquiring I was told that one of his wives
had been offended at some scolding he gave her
and had gone to her former home. She had now
repented and was willing to return to her
husband, but her father's people would not
allow her unless he first paid something for
having caused her to run away. I enquired
how many wives were left to him and he said he
had still five. I advised him to let the run-away
one stay where she was, but the great matter
for him was that she represented so many head
of cattle and he could not lose them as, by
having children by her he could give them out
in marriage and so get his cattle-fold restocked.
There was no room for the sentiment of love.
It was purely a mercantile transaction. Here is
a native's description of a household squabble : —

44 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

*' This is a story about wives. A man had
five wives and they were quarrelling among
themselves. One said to another, ' You are all
right since our husband loves you only. As for
us he does not love us at all.' So they seized
each other and fought, one of them being greatly
hurt in the quarrel over their husband. The
husband said, ' I love you all, my wives.' One
replied, saying, 'You just love one of your
wives.' Others said, ' What did he take us
from our father's house for, seeing he only loves
one ? ' There was war very often."

When evening comes the principal meal of the
day is eaten. It consists of maize flour made
into a very stiff and very partially cooked
porridge, which is accompanied by a relish
composed of meat with a little salt, green vege-
tables or dried herbs. What bread is to us this
porridge is to the native. It matters not how-
ever freely he eat, for instance, of flesh and
vegetables, he will complain of hunger unless he
has had his quantity of porridge. At meals the
women and girls eat by themselves in one part
of the family compound or open space, and the
men who are usually to be found in the cattle-
fold may have theirs along with the boys there.
When the meal is over there is not much labour
clearing the table or in the scullery afterwards.

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRr 45

The porridge has been cooked in one huge pot
and the portion for the women put into a broad
flat dish, with the relish in a small earthenware
pot, and that for the men and boys has been
served up in the same way. They all sit round
and, dipping the fingers in the heap of porridge,
take a little which they roll into a ball, dip it m
the relish and literally pitch it into the mouth
They do not chew it, and hence the manifold
digestive disturbances the natives are liable to.
The delicacies of civilisation are said to have
made men more unhappy and unhealthy than is
the simple untutored savage. My experience
is that civilised people have not so much sickness
as natives. Their splendid ivories are made
much of, but, as I have seen a few hundred
mouths, the front teeth are usually the only ones

preserved. • • i ;i

When the evening meal is over, if it is the dry
season and a moon present, the youths and maidens
of the village go to the cattle-fold to the dance,
which is a recreation much liked by the natives.
The Ngoni, unlike the Tonga and Tumbuka
peoples!" have no obscene dances, and on a clear
evenino-, when all around is still, it is very en-
ioyable^ to listen to their song accompaniment
(from a distance). It is then that the glamour
of native life is thrown over the casual visitor,

46 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and perhaps it is excusable that he goes away
filled with the idea that the native spends an
idyllic life, has no care, and is always happy and
free. True, there is apparent peace and joy in
the village as the young people, not infrequently
joined by many of the mothers with babies on
their backs, join in song and dance for an hour
or two after sunset. But it is only one phase
of native life, which does not, to those who are
behind the scenes, cover the unhappiness, the
slavish fear of evil spirits, tlie often cruel bonds
of heathen customs, and above all the secret
immorality, lying, stealing, and often murder,
which abound in every native community.

The song is the principal thing — not the dance.
The dance is the accompaniment of the song, and
not vice versd. Their songs are well-nigh unin-
telligible to a stranger, as they consist of short
statements relating to some incident in the every-
day life or history of the people, and without a
knowledge of those incidents one cannot under-
stand them. From them, however, one may
obtain a very minute record of the people's
history. The men, with dancing-sticks in their
hands, held erect, form one line, and the women
form a line some distance apart from, and opposite
to, the men. All sing heartily, and the dance
consists in merely striking the ground with the

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRY 47

feet, while the sticks are waved overhead, with
certain movements of the body and head carried
out in unison, the whole combined forming a not
unpleasing, although unrefined exhibition. The
song, as heard from a distance, is not without
artistic effect as the high-pitched voices of the
women, usually very musical, and the deeper
voices of the men rise and fall in the evening
stillness in musical cadence. In some of the
songs there are dialogues, the men and women
speaking to each other in rhythmical notes. In
these dialogues the music is not unsuited to the
subject. In some songs the maidens take up, it
may be, a taunt against the young men concern-
ing some war exploit, domestic fracas, or play-
fully assert that the young men of their village
are inferior to those of some other village. To this
taunt in song the young men reply in notes suited
to their indignation at the charge. Thus the song
goes on, while the rhythmic gestures and beating
of the ground with the feet add zest to the sub-
ject. At certain stages in the song the words are
dropped, and the women continue the tune in a
low, humming voice, while the movements of the
men are continued ; and then, at another stage,
the women clap hands in unison, but always in
two parts, with a slight interval of time, so that
the sound is doubled and accentuated. The dance

48 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

forms a suitable occasion for the youths of the
village to show themselves off in front of the
young women, whose favour they may be anxious
to obtain.

Such is the village dance ; but in the dry season,
after the crops have been reaped, there is a kind
of competitive dance engaged in between two
villages. Without warning, the young people of
one village will come to another village, dressed
in all their best things. They enter the cattle-
fold singing, and begin to dance. Those of the
village visited who are within call are quickly
summoned to engage the strangers, and they are
prepared to begin to dance when the other party
stops to rest, the desire being to out-dance the
other by holding the field as long as they can, as
well as to have the best singing and most perfect
movements. Thus they go on, one party after
the other, during the whole day, and when the
sun has well declined, the strangers return home,
singing gaily all the way.

The daily life of the men is soon described.
They have usually no work to do. Their day is
spent in talking, taking snuff, and drinking beer.
They may do a little hoeing in the busy season,
and cut the trees where a new garden is being
made, but that is about all. The introduction of
labour by the Mission has effected a great change,

THE NATIVES AND THEIR COUNTRT 49

as the men who were wont to go out raiding other
tribes during the whole of the dry season, are
now found eager to obtain work. Some few are
found who, of their own free will, devise work,
and are always busy since there are trades found
among them.

The men's place is the cattle-fold, where they
spend their day, and a stranger visiting a village
goes to the gate to await the salutations of the
people, and to be enquired of as to his business
before he is conducted to the house of the party
he may have come to see. There is a well-
defined etiquette observed throughout the com-
munity. It is a great oflfence for one to sit down
opposite the door of a hut. A native's house, as
well as a Britisher's, is his castle, and no one dare
enter uninvited. Neither may one sit down
near the house without giving warning by a
cough, an exclamation, or by salutation, as eaves-
dropping is a crime which is abhorred by the
natives.

One of the pretty sights about a native village
in the evening is the folding of the cattle. As
the sun sinks the cattle begin to turn homeward.
The boys who tend them have reeds which they
cause to emit a not unmusical sound — the diflfer-
ent cattle-herds having differently pitched reeds
— by manipulating the open end as they blow

D

50

AMONG THE WILD NGONI

througli, and all sounded together produce a
simple, sweet music. The cattle collect together
where they have been grazing as the boys blow
their reeds, and wend their way home for the
evening milking and to rest over night in the
open fold. The old Ngoni were wholly a pastoral
people, and only in recent years have gone in for
agriculture to the extent they now do. Before
the cattle plague the herds were numerous
and large, but now there are only tens where
before there were hundreds. The cessation of
war raids also accounts to some extent for the
decrease in the number of cattle owned, as cattle-
lifting was a constant occupation in the dry
season.

CHAPTER III

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS

IT is a mistake to suppose that even among
barbarous tribes, such as the Ngoni, all their
customs are bad. There were, before Christian
teaching began to influence them, many things
which were admirable. Those traits of char-
acter and customs so readily seen by strangers,
the observation of which has so often led travel-
lers to believe that the state of the untutored
savage was happy, free and good, are neverthe-
less found alongside lower ways of living, and
a grossly immoral character, which are not only
the obstacles to Mission work but its raison
d'etre. It is not our purpose, meantime, to state
or explain fully the customs of the people, all of
which have an interest from the anthropological
point of view, but to present a brief sketch of
those which stood out as hindrances to the pro-
gress of our work, and which, being bad, had to
succumb to the influences of the moral and
spiritual teaching of the gospel. There are many

52 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

customs so grossly obscene that we cannot enter
upon a statement of them. I avail myself of a
letter from my colleague, Rev. Donald Fraser,
which he recently sent home, describing what he
witnessed in an out-lying district of Ngoniland
in connection with the initiation customs at the
coming of age of young women.

" Leaving these bright scenes behind, I moved
on west into Tumbuka country to open up new
territory. But scarcely had I turned my back
on Hora when I began to feel the awful oppres-
sion of dominant heathenism. For a few days
I stopped at the head chiefs village, where we
have recently opened a school. The chief was
holding high days of bacchanalian revelry. He
and his brother and many others were very
drunk when I arrived, and continued in the
same condition till I left. Day after day the
sound of drunken song went up from the village.
Several times a day they came to visit me and
to talk : but their presence was only a pest, for
they begged persistently for everything they saw,
from my boots to my tent and bed. The poor,
young chief has quickly learned all the royal
vices — beer-drinking, hemp-smoking, numerous
wives, incessant begging. I greatly dread lest
we have come too late, but God's grace can
transform him yet.

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 53

" When we left Mbalekelwa's we marched for
two days towards the west, keeping to the valley
of a little river. Along the route, especially
during the second day, we passed through an
almost unbroken line of Tumbuka villages. At
every resting-point the people came to press on
us to send them teachers, and frequently ac-
companied their requests with presents. When
at last we arrived at Chinde's head village, we
received a very cordial welcome. Chinde (a son
of Mombera) did everything he could to con-
vince us of his unbounded pleasure in our visit.
For three or four days we stayed there, and were
overwhelmed with presents of sheep and goats,
and with eager requests for teachers. Leaving
this hospitable quarter, we had a long, weary
march through a waterless forest, in which we
saw the fresh spoor of many buffaloes and other
large game, and heard a lion roaring in front.
Late in the afternoon we reached Chinombo's
and remained for other three days. Here again,
we were well received and loaded with presents.

" This whole country to the west is still un-
touched. That the people are eager to learn is
evident from their urgent requests. That they
sadly lack God, and are living in a dreadful
degradation, became daily more and more patent.
I cannot yet write as an inner observer. Tshi-

54 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

tumbuka, the language spoken there, I am only
now beginning to learn. Yet the outer exhibi-
tions of vice and drunkenness and superstition
were only too painfully evident.

" Often have I heard Dr Elmslie speak of the
awful customs of the Tumbuka, but the actual
sight of some of these gave a shock and horror
that will not leave one. The atmosphere seems
charged with vice. It is the only theme that
runs through songs, and games, and dances.
Here surely is the very seat of Satan.

"It is the gloaming. You hear the ringing
laughter of little children who are playing before
their mothers. They are such little tots you
want to smile with them, and you draw near ;
but you quickly turn aside, shivering with
horror. These little girls are making a game
of obscenity, and their mothers are laughing.

"The moon has risen. The sound of boys
and girls singing in chorus, and the clapping of
hands, tell of village sport. You turn out to
the village square to see the lads and girls at
play. They are dancing ; but every act is awful
in its shamelessness, and an old grandmother,
bent and withered, has entered the circle to
incite the boys and girls to more loathsome
dancing. You go back to your tent bowed with
an awful shame, to hide yourself But from that

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 55

village, and that other, the same choruses are
rising, and you know that under the clear moon
God is seeing wickedness that cannot be named,
and there is no blush in those who practise it.

** Next morning the village is gathered together
to see your carriers at worship, and to hear the
news of the white stranger. You improve the
occasion, and stand, ashamed to speak of what you
saw. The same boys and girls are there, the same
old grandmothers. But clear eyes look up, and
there is no look of shame anywhere. It is hard to
speak of such things, but you alone are ashamed
that day ; and when you are gone, the same
horror is practised under the same clear moon.

" No ; I cannot yet speak of the bitterness of
heathenism, only of its horror. True, there were
hags there who were only middle-aged women,
and there were men bowed, scared, dull-eyed,
with furrowed faces. But when these speak or
sing or dance, there seems to be no alloy in their
merriment. The children are happy as only
children can be. They laugh and sing, and show
bright eyes and shining teeth all day long. But
what of that ? Made in God's image, to be His
pure dwelling-place, they have become the dens
of foul devils ; made to be sons of God, they have
become the devotees of passion.

" I have passed through the valleys of two

56 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

little rivers only, and seen there something of
the external life of those who can be the children
of God. The horror of it is with me day and
night. And on every side it is the same. In
hidden valleys where we have never been, in
villages quite near to this station, the drum is
beating and proclaiming shame under God's face.
And we cannot rest. But what are we two
among so many ? 0 men and women, who have
sisters and mothers and little brothers whose daily
presence is for you an echo of the purity of God,
why do you leave us a little company, and
grudge those gifts that help to tell mothers and
daughters and sons that impurity is for hell, and
holiness alone for us !

" ' How loDg, 0 Lord ! how long ? '

"I send you this account of a missionary
journey. Would that my pen could write the
fire that is in my soul ! It is an awful thing to
sit looking at sin triumphant, and be unable to
do anything to check it. Calls for teachers are
coming from every side, but we cannot listen
to them at present — our hands are more than
fuU."

The letter refers to the custom as it obtained
among the Tumbuka and Tonga slaves, and it
presents an awful picture of moral degeneracy

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 57

which was all too commonly seen on such occa-
sions all over Central Africa. Althous^h the
Ngoni practice was less openly obscene yet the
occasion was onQ of unspeakable evil, extending
over several days, on which both sexes were
accorded full licence for every unholy passion.

In like manner in connection with marriages
— especially of widows — and the birth of twins ;
when armies returned from war and the purifica-
tion ceremonies took place, practices which are not
meet to be described were unblushiugly engaged
in. What in Christian lands is held sacred in
heathen lands is too often the common property
of young and old, and where public opinion is
devoid of the moral sense we cannot look for
elevation from within.

One of the greatest social and moral evils
among the tribe is polygamy. The evils are
seen among all classes, for as the tribe existed
by raiding other tribes, all who could bear
arms might possess themselves of captive wives.
Among the upper classes the rich held the power
to secure all the marriageable girls in the tribe,
by purchasing them from their parents for so
many cattle. The practice of paying cattle was
not in all cases wholly bad, but the tendency
was to outrage the higher motives and feelings,
especially in the women who often were bar-

58 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

gained for by their parents long before they
entered their teens. The cattle paid to the
father of the bride formed a portion which she
could claim and have as a possession, in the
event of her being driven away by the cruelty
of her husband, and, in the absence of a nobler
sentiment, it was in some degree a safeguard
of the interests of the wife. But upon no
grounds, social or moral, could such a practice
be defended. It is inimical to the true morality
of marriage, and consequently to the progress of
the race. It is no uncommon thing to find grey-
headed old men, with half-a-score of wives already,
choosing, bidding for, and securing, without the
woman's consent, the young girls of the tribe.
Disparity of age, emotions and associations, make
such unions anything but happy, and nowhere
do quarrels and witchcraft practices foment more
surely than in a polygamous household. A man's
wives are not all located in one village. He may
have several villages, and from neglect young
wives are subject to many grievances and
temptations, so tliat it is no wonder they age
in appearance so rapidly. They are often mal-
treated by the senior wives, who, jealous of
them, bring charges against them, and, in the
hour when they should have the joy of ex-
pectant motherhood, they are cast aside under

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 59

some foul charge, without human aid or sympa-
thetic care. On more than one occasion I have
been called by a weeping mother to give aid to
her daughter in such circumstances, when, if a
fatal issue resulted, she and her family would
have been taken into slavery and their possessions
confiscated. Only those who spend years among
them and are their trusted friends can tell of
that and countless other unholy and inhuman
things, which result from the custom of polygamy
as it exists.

Flippant writers on such customs, especially
some travellers who had not the opportunity of
becoming acquainted with the people, state that
polygamy is, in the savage state where there is
an absence of higher motives, a safeguard of
morality. It is, however, far from being so.
Men with several wives, and many of the wives
of polygamists, have assignations with members
of other families. I have been told by serious
old men that such is the state of family life in
the villages that any man could raise a case
against his neighbour at any time, and that is
one reason why friendliness appears so marked
among them — each has to bow to the other in
fear of offending him and leading to revelations
which would rob him of his all.

The belief in witchcraft is the most powerful

6o AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of all the forces at work among the tribes. It is
a slavery from which there has been found no
release. It pervades and influences every human
relationship, and acts as a complete barrier to all
advancement wherever it is found to operate.
No matter whether it be master or slave, chief
or subject, parent or child, he has to bear this
yoke which may at any moment crush him.
He lives in fear. If he is sick it is not a ques-
tion of how he may be cured, but of who has
bewitched him ; or if his plans are frustrated
what evil spirit has been moved against him.
The reason for his apparent laziness is the feai
that, if he become possessed of goods, his circum-
stances will excite jealousy and bring on him
accusations of witchcraft, and death as a result.
It is productive of unrest, cruel treatment, and
great loss of property and life.

The itshanusi or witch-doctor lives upon the
credulity and slavish fear of the people. He is
either self-deceived or a base impostor, but his
power for evil in a tribe is unlimited. He is
reverenced by all classes, and although one may
hear whispers of a want of faith in him and his
incantations, no one would dare to oppose him
in public. Wicked men and chiefs make use
of him and his immunity from punishment to
" remove " any person who is disliked or whose

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 6i

possessions have rendered him opprobrious to
them, and a chief or headman's unjust demands
may be bolstered up by an appeal to his easily-
bought action. They aid despotic chiefs in
governing a discontented people, and from the
deep religious feeling which the people have in
regard to the presence and power of the ancestral
spirits with whom the itshanusi is believed to be
in communication, they are ready to acknowledge
even that which may be to their hurt.

As to their belief in witchcraft I might refer to
what I have observed in the course of my practice
of medicine among the people. No sooner is it
concluded that a person who is sick has been
bewitched, than the friends around talk of it
without constraint in the presence of the patient.
Sometimes they may carry him about from place
to place in the hope of cheating the charmer, but
the effect on the patient is very marked. He
seems to conclude that he is to die, and he
evinces no fear or anxiety in view of death.
He assumes an unnatural stolidity, despair, and
what might be termed resignation. Although
his imminent death is talked of freely before
him he has no fear or complaint. He shows
no desire to fight for life, but with an inhuman
want of hope or desire for recovery he awaits
the end. The thought that he is bewitched

62 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

seems to deprive him of all natural clinging to
life. Even among the youthful of both sexes
there is that want of hope, when once the elder
people have declared they have been bewitched.

In connection with charges of witchcraft, the
poison ordeal is the final and too often calamitous
sequel. Before the light of Christian truth came
to them, and has, even where the doctrines are
not wholly embraced, done away with this great
evil, the number annually killed by drinking the
muave cup cannot be estimated. Anything a
man possesses, about which there is any mystery,
may give rise to a charge of witchcraft. If a
man is found walking near a village at night he
is charged with evil intentions. If one possesses
himself of an owl or other night bird or animal,
he is supposed to work evil by means of such,
and is charged forthwith. When sickness or
death comes into a house or village someone
is blamed. The itshanusi is called, and there
are not wanting those who in their talk reveal
in what direction the thoughts of the people lie,
and so he names someone, which decision at once
appears reasonable to the people and is accepted.
Often the witch-doctor has emissaries secretly em-
ployed to find out what he wants, and, acting
upon information thus obtained, he appears to
the people to be acting upon communications he

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 63

has received supernaturally. Sometimes he does
more to influence their imagination and make
themselves name someone than by himself doing
so directly. I have known several witch-doctors,
and have come to regard them as shrewd indivi-
duals, certainly more given to thought than the
community generally, and who traded on the
superstitious fears of the people, who seldom ex-
ercised their reason in connection with ordinary
occurrences. On many occasions men and women
have sought refuge at the Mission station when
accused of witchcraft and under sentence of death.
On one occasion, during a trial which took place
at a village near the station, when the itshanusi
was performing his incantations and condemned
a man, he broke away from the crowd and ran
towards the house. He was followed by a crowd
of men and boys clamouring for his life, and being
overtaken, was clubbed to death before our eyes ;
his body was ignominiously dragged back to the
scene of trial, where it was subjected to gross
indignities.

On all occasions of administering the poison
cup we tried to stop it. Sometimes we were
successful and sometimes we were not. Some-
times we were able to prevail upon them to
substitute dogs or fowls for the human subjects,
and then it was possible for us to watch the pro-

64 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

ceedings. These were occasions on which the
whole community turned out. The friends of
the accused were very few on such occasions,
and the people jeered the unhappy wretch and
engaged in song and dance while he had to stand
alone and prove his innocence by vomiting the
poison, or, by death from the poison, confirm the
truth of the charge against him. When the
poison began to take efi"ect, as seen in the quiver-
ing and collapse of the culprit, it was the occa-
sion for wild demoniacal behaviour, jeering and
cursing the dying man, unawed in the presence
of death. Then his body was ignominiously cast
into the nearest ravine to be food for the hyenas
at night.

Not only was the poison ordeal resorted to in
cases of supposed witchcraft, but the Tonga and
Tumbuka, with whom and not with the Ngoni
the practice originated, were incessantly using it.
In nearly every hut a bundle of poison-bark
would be found hid away in the roof against
the need to use it. Family and other quarrels
were finally adjusted by resort to the ordeal.
The women were the mainstay of the horrible
practice, and most frequently made use of it.
Numberless cases were treated at the dispensary,
when more sober reflection made them seek an
emetic. Sometimes cases were brought by others.

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 65

A husband might come home and find a crowd
about his door and learn that his wife had taken
muave. He would bring her to me at once.
Sometimes the patient has died while being
brought, or even at the dispensary door while 1
was making an effort to save her. Frivolous as
were the reasons for resorting to such extreme
measures when quarrels arose, there were often
dire results therefrom, and sometimes one met
with a case which appeared ridiculous even to
the native mind. A strong young man came to
me one day saying he had drunk muave, and
desired an emetic. On enquiry I learned that
he and his wife had quarrelled during the night
in the secrecy of their own hut. Failing to
agree after the usual amount of talking char-
acteristic of native brawls, they agreed that at
sunrise they would drink muave. When the
sun rose they proceeded to the ordeal and the
cups were duly mixed. The wife, with a cunning
not suspected by the pliable husband, who, with
a faith in his innocence, was determined to go
through with the business, said, " You made
the charge, so you shall drink first." He did
so, but the wife, hurling an imprecation at him,
refused to drink her share, and fled to a village
several miles away. The poor man, amid a
crowd of natives derisively cheering him, came

E

66 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and sought relief, which a liberal use of sulphate
of zinc and water gave him.

The poison ordeal is an outcome of their belief
in the supernatural. It is an appeal to a power
outside themselves to judge the case, reveal the
right, and punish the wrong-doer. It is part of
their religious system and appears to them to be
right. The witch-doctor is to them the visible
and accessible agent of the ancestral spirits whom
they believe in and worship, and from whom they
think he derives his powers. If there is a ten-
dency to error in what they believe, the witch-
doctor by his shrewdness and making bad use of
it, pretending to know more than what will ever
be revealed to man, favoured the growth of lies,
and juggled with the truth of things. The char-
acteristics of the witch-doctor are a pretended
superior knowledge to discern the affairs of in-
dividuals and communities, and ability to hold
intercourse with the ancestral spirits. It is not
a hereditary craft such as that of other kinds of
doctors, e.g. medicine men who have a knowledge
of herbs, and blacksmiths who have the secrets
of working in iron. The knowledge of medicine
and handicraft are considered to be heirlooms.
The witch-doctor is supposed to be chosen by the
ancestral spirits, by whom they may communi-
cate with the world. A man who is chosen

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS O7

presents certain features or symptoms. He be-
comes "possessed" and excludes himself from
society. He may have a peculiar sickness, char-
acterised by lowness of spirits. It may be he is
the subject of fits or has peculiar dreams. When
he recovers from this and again enters society he
is looked upon with awe by the ordinary people.
He places himself in the hands of some old witch-
doctor who tests his symptoms of "possession,"
and if found good he is instructed by him in
various practices. He is not allowed to graduate,
however, until he has discovered some medicine
which is potent in some way, and given public
proof of his ability to discover things secreted by
those assembled to test his powers. There is
doubtless a measure of both self-deception and
imposture in the matter. The practice of the
witch-doctor is closely connected with the wor-
ship of the ancestral spirits. Each house has a
family spirit to whom they sacrifice, but no one
ever sacrifices to the spirit without first waiting
upon the itshanusi. He pretends to have found
out the reason for worship, and directs the appli-
cant how to proceed.

Without asserting that it is complete, the
following is a correct statement of the religious
beliefs of the natives. Although they do not
worship God, it is nevertheless true that they

68 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

have a distinct idea of a supreme Being. The
Ngoni call him Umkurumqango, and the Tonga
and Tumbuka call him Chiuta. It may be that
the natives, from au excess of reverence as much
as from negligence, have ceased to offer him
direct worship. They affirm that God lives : that
it is He who created all things, and who giveth
all good things. The government of the world
is deputed to the spirits and among these the
malevolent spirits alone require to be appeased,
while the guardian spirits require to be entreated
for protection by means of sacrifices. I once had
a long conversation on this subject with a witch-
doctor who was a neighbour for some years, and
the sum of what he said was, that they believe
in God who made them and all things, but they
do not know how to worship Him. He is thought
of as a great chief and is living, but as He has
the ancestral spirits with Him they are His
amaduna (headmen). The reason why they
pray to the amadhlozi (spirits) is that these,
having lived on earth, understand their position
and wants, and can manage their case with God.
When they are well and have plenty, no worship
is required, and in adversity and sickness they
pray to them. The sacrifices are offered to ap-
pease the spirits when trouble comes, or, as when
building a new village, to gain their protection.

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 69

With such ideas native to the mind of these
tribes, how is it that the materialistic writers and
unbelieving critics of Missions affirm that the
high moral and spiritual truths of Christianity
cannot be grasped by them ? In beginning mis-
sion work among them, one is not met by any-
thing in their mental or spiritual life which is an
insurmountable barrier in communicating to them
spiritual truths. However erroneously at first
they may conceive the truths and facts put be-
fore them, they have no difficulty in finding a
place for them in their thoughts. To talk of
spiritual things is not to them an absurdity,
much less is it impossible for them to conceive
that such things may be. The native lives con-
tinually in an atmosphere of spiritual things.
Almost all his customs are connected with a
belief in a world of spirits. He is, consciously
or unconsciously, always under the power and in-
fluence of a spiritual world. In preaching, we
have not first to prove the existence of God. He
never dreams of questioning that. We have in
our instruction merely to unfold His character as
Creator, Preserver, Governor, and Father of us
all. As He is revealed to them they do not ques-
tion His sovereignty, but bow to it. While we
meet with many obstacles in their life and thought,
yet as they are we have in them much that is a

70 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

help — a basis on which we may operate. How-
ever dim their spiritual light may be, we have
but to unfold truth to them and it is self-evident
to their minds. No preparation by civilization is
required, as their spiritual instincts find in the
truth of God what they are crying out for. The
cry is inarticulate and unuttered, save in their
unrest and blind gropings after spiritual things.

Regarding the origin of life and death, all
natives have the story much the same as found
throughout the Bantu tribes, how that in the be-
ginning God sent the chameleon to tell men that
they would die but again rise. Afterwards He
sent the grey lizard to say that they would die,
and dying, would not return. The lizard, being
a swift runner, came first, and afterwards the
chameleon ; but men said, " We accepted the
word of the first, and cannot receive yours."
The natives hate the chameleon, and put snuff
in its mouth to kill it, because they say it de-
layed and led to their acceptance of death.

They believe in the presence of disembodied
spirits, good and bad, having the power to aff'ect
men in this world. Their sacrifices to them, their
fear of them, and their assigning sickness and
death to their agency, testify to this.

There are different terms applied to spirits,
each of which is explanatory. The native thinks

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 71

of the shade or shadow of his departed friend,
and denotes the life-principle, and the term is
even applied to influence, prestige, importance.
They use it in reference to his life, as when they
say, " His shadow is still present " ; meaning that
though on the point of death, his spirit is still in
him. When I began to take photographs, the
same word was applied to a man's photograph,
and they evinced the greatest fear lest by yield-
ing up their spirit to me they should die. I have
shown photographs of deceased persons known
to them, and they invariably turned away, some
even running away in fear. When a native
dreams, he believes he has held converse with
the shade of his friend. Another term applied to
spirits has reference to their supposed habit of
wandering about. The hut of a deceased adult
is never pulled down. It is never again used by
the living, but is left to fall to pieces when the
village removes to another locality. They do not
think the spirit always lives in the hut, but they
think it may return to its former haunts, and so
the hut is left standing. Spirits are thought to
enter certain snakes, which consequently are never
killed. When seen in the vicinity of houses, they
are left unmolested ; and if they enter huts, some-
times food and beer are laid down for them. Some
time after a chief died, some of his children saw

72 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

a snake near his grave close by the hut in which
he died. The cry of joy was taken up by all the
family, " Our father has come back." There was
great rejoicing, and the family went and spent a
night at the grave, clearing away the grass and
rubbish that had accumulated. They were satis-
fied that it was the spirit of their father in the
snake.

If a journey of importance is being taken, such
as an army going out to war, or a man going on
important business, a snake crossing the path in
front is considered to be an omen — the spirit
giving warning against going on. The army or
party interested would not dream of going farther,
without consulting the divining-doctor so as to
learn the meaning of the omen.

Theis belief in spirits appears on many occa-
sions. I have been engaging workers when only
a few out of a crowd could be chosen. It was
not an uncommon thing to hear from the disap-
pointed as they walked away, " I have an evil
spirit to-day," meaning that luck went against
them, and they were not engaged. A man who
has perhaps narrowly escaped from danger ex-
claims, " What did they take me for ? " meaning
that some inferior spirit had been caring for him,
and only barely saved him. Such a definite and
operative belief in the presence and power of

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 73

spirits gives rise to their practice of offering
sacrifices, which are almost always propitiatory,
save when a new village is made. Hence their
religious exercises are called forth by sickness,
death, or disaster. A man speaks of a sacrifice
as offered to make the spirit pliable and obedient
to his request, and in sacrifice they offer cattle,
or beer and flour.

Although the Tumbuka are a much more de-
graded people in morals, they are more religious
than the Ngoni, and are freer in their sacrifices.
An elephant-hunter, for example, when the beast
falls, always cuts out certain parts, and at the foot
of a certain tree offers them in sacrifice to his
guardian spirit. Their beliefs and worship are
essentially those of the Ngoni, except that they
have a wider variety of objects. Certain hills
are worshipped, also waterfalls, ancient trees,
and almost any object which appears unusual,
may to them embody the spirit they worship,
while certain insects, such as the mantis religiosa
are supposed to give residence to an ancestral
spirit, are not interfered with under any circum-
stances, or even handled. Each house has its
own guardian spirit, and the tribe worships the
spirit of a dead chief

The natives believe in Hades — the region
below, where disembodied spirits dwell. They

74 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

do not speak of it as a sensible locality. Now
and again women are found wandering about the
country smeared with white clay and fantastically
dressed, calling themselves "chiefs of Hades."
They are greatly feared as being able to turn
themselves into lions, and other ravenous beasts
to devour any who may not treat them well.
Hence their advent in a village leads the people
to give them whatever they ask, that they may
go away and leave them undisturbed. There
is a medicine in use as a protection from lions,
which cunning men sell at a good price. One
of the laro-est and most attentive meetinss I
had in the open air was when, on a Sunday
morning, I came upon a crowd of natives
of both sexes and all ages, submitting to be
anointed by a deceptive old man with an oily
mixture, which was reputed to give protection
from the lions at that time infesting the district.
At my request he ceased his practice and I
preached from the words : " The devil goeth
about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour." Before the close of the sermon the
old man took his departure with his oily mix-
ture, leaving me in possession of the crowd.

Much more might be said of the life of the
people, but what has been stated will enable the
reader to understand the nature of the soil into

NATIVE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS 75

which the seeds of Christian truth have been
cast, and how great have been the results.
Frederic Harrison's New Year Address to the
Positivist Society ten years ago contained these
great swelling words of man's wisdom : — " Mis-
sionaries and philanthropists, however noble
might be the character and purpose of some
few among them, were all really engaged . . .
in plundering and enslaving Africa, in crushing,
demoralising and degrading African races." I
have but faintly touched upon the moral and
spiritual, as well as the temporal state of the
natives as we found them ; let the reader,
when he has gone through the succeeding
chapters, say for himself whether the plan of
God's redemption of Africa or that of the
Positivist Society succeeds best, and take no
rest until all Africa receive the light of God's
Word.

CHAPTER IV

THE STATE OP THE COUNTRY AND THE BEGIN-
NING OF THE MISSION WORK

WHAT has been said in the introduction
shows the position of the work in Ngoni-
land in relation to the more extended operations
of the Livingstonia Mission as a whole. In the
history of the Ngoni, as given in the previous
chapters, we are brought down to recent times,
and have now to hurriedly glance at the state
of the country produced by their presence and
power in Nyasaland at the advent of the
Mission.

Soon after the worK was begun at Cape
Maclear, near the south end of Lake Nyasa,
it was evident that if the Mission was to be
established according to the idea of the pro-
moters, a wider and healthier area must be
found. To secure that different expeditions
were undertaken, and it was in connection with
these that the full extent and power of the

Nsoni became known. Reference is made here
76

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION IVORK 77

to the reports of these expeditions by Drs
Stewart and Laws, and the late Mr James
Stewart, to the Eoyal Geographical Society, and
to the Committee of the Free Church of Scotland.
One of the earliest references to the power and
dominion of the Ngoni, over a wide area, was
made by Dr Stewart in the Free Church General
Assembly in 1878, when he said, regarding the
position of the newly-formed Mission to Nyasa-
land, " He had recommended a change of site,
and preparations had been made for carefully
examining the portion of the country on the
western side of the lake. There was a certain
responsibility in connection with this recom-
mendation to change the site. He was willing
to face the responsibility. They had either to
make a change or let go the original idea and
projection of Livingstonia, and reduce the whole
to dwarfish proportions, very different from what
was at first intended. What was urgently wanted
was a high and cool position possessing all the
other qualifications and capabilities of a good
site. These he thought might be got on the
high lands to the west side of the lake. The
warlike Ngoni were in possession of that district.
If we could establish friendly relations with
them the work would not be difficult."

Thus it was, twenty years ago, that in the

78 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

providence of God, through the contracted area
workable from Cape Maclear as a centre, and its
unhealthiness, the Mission was led to interest
itself in the proud warriors of Ngoniland far
away to the north among the high hills on the
west side of Lake Nyasa. The reputation for
war and cruelty which they had wherever they
were known, made the task of finding a new site
anything but easy, notwithstanding the hopeful-
ness of Dr Stewart's report. The following ac-
count of what was found during the expeditions
undertaken, and of the origin and progress of the
work in Ngoniland, should be read with interest
in view of the now enormous field of the Living-
stonia Mission, and the wonderful achievements
of the Gospel among many different tribes.

The Ngoni at that time dominated a tract of
country extending between 9*30° and 12° S.
lat. and from the western shore of Lake Nyasa
to 31° E. long., comprising an area of 30,000
square miles. In this vast region the principal
tribes living were, — on the lake shore, the Tonga,
Tumbuka, Henga and Nkonde, while inland were
the Chewa, other divisions of the Tumbuka, the
Senga, Zingwa, Wiwa, Bisa, Nyamwanga, Wanda
and Nyika, and other communities which were
scattered remnants of tribes already broken up
by their arms. When it is remembered that

THE COUNT Rr AND MISSION WORK 79

every year during the dry season, which extends
from April to November, the Ngoni armies were
engaged in raiding expeditions, sometimes to
the southward against the quiet and industrious
Chewa, or down to the lake shore against
the Tonga, or northward to the cattle-keeping
Nkonde, or westward into the land of fat sheep,
ivory and copper wealth, going as far as Bang-
weolo, near the site of Livingstone's death-scene,
it may be imagined that the condition of these
people was anything but happy or secure. I
have seen an army, ten thousand strong, issue
forth in June and not return till September,
laden with spoil in slaves, cattle and ivory, and
nearly every man painted with white clay, de-
noting that he had killed someone. Around
Bandawe, one of the principal stations of the
Mission, more blood has been shed than can be
related. The Tonga, once enslaved by the
Ngoni, but who revolted and fled, were the
frequent objects of attack. Ngoni wars, not-
withstanding the reputed bravery of the warriors,
were not always very straightforward fights,
but were always very bloody from the tactics
they pursued. The army would lie concealed
in the forest at some distance from the lake
villages, and when the sun was dipping behind
the hills it would rush out and enter a village

8o JATONG THE WILD NGONI

at a time when all were congregated and en-
gaged in the open air. It was but a rush
through the village, but ten, twenty, or thirty-
men, women and children were left lying dead,
and perhaps as many women carried ofiF captive.

I was at Bandawe when such an attack was
made on a village a few miles from the station.
We were seated in the verandah of the Mission
house in the calm, cool evening. The boys
boarded on the station as Mission pupils were
engaged in mirthful games near by. In the
villages around, hidden among the banana groves
or rich undergrowth, we could hear the thud of
the pestle in the wooden mortar as the w^omen,
with their babies tied on their backs, were
employed preparing the flour for the evening
meal. The children were heard in gleeful song
and dance, while the hum of voices rose as the
men engaged in the gossip of the hour, seated
under the village tree smoking their pipes, and
the sun sank amid a splendour of colour over the
western hills. All betokened peace and happiness.
Suddenly a shrill cry was heard in the distance
and it was at once taken up by those in the
villages, the song and gentle hum of voices
giving place to cries of fear and distress. Before
many minutes had elapsed hundreds of frantic
women carrying their infants, while older

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 8i

children ran frantically by their side, rushed
into the station grounds or ofif to the caverns
on the rocky hill near the shore. The men
fled for their arms and soon the tumult of
battle was heard. An Ngoni army had rushed
a village ; the peace and quiet of the evening
hour now gave place to the wailing of women
and the cries of children, as they re-entered their
villages to find perhaps several of their friends
killed or carried away captive. On one occasion
such an attack was made and several women
were carried off". Some men who had guns went
in pursuit and traced the route of the Ngoni by
the bodies of the dead whom they had slain on
the way, finding they were not after all worth
carrying ofil Coming up to them at a river
where they were encamped, still having in their
possession some women, they surprised them by
firing their guns. The Ngoni fled, but one
woman, about to become a mother whom they
could not urge to run, was speared to death
before the eyes of her friends who had come
to rescue her. I have seen an infant with a
great ugly gash in its little body which was
made by the spear that passed through the
mother as she rushed off" in the efl*ort to escape.
The following is also an authentic story of an
Ngoni war and butchery told by a European

82 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

who witnessed the sight, and such harrowing
tales could be multiplied tenfold.

" On Friday, Nov. 18, a band of Ngoni
stealthily surrounded the village of Kayune
which lies on the lake shore. They had no
dispute with chief or people ; their one motive
was to spear men and capture women. There
was no moonlight and darkness favoured their
approach. Entering the village, which had no
stockade and lay half hidden in banana groves,
each warrior took up his position at the door of
a hut and ordered the inmates to come out.
Every man and boy was speared as he rushed
out and the women were caught and bound with
bark rope. In the morning not a Nkonde man
or boy was in the village, while three hundred
women and girls were tied and crowded together
like so many frightened sheep. The Ngoni
feasted all day on the food and beer of the
villagers."

The sequel is, if possible, more horrible. A
party of traders at Karonga, three hours' journey
distant, went out to try and rescue the women
when word of the capture was received. The
party came up on the Ngoni and fired upon
them. They were off their guard and supposed
that a large force had come against them, and
they began to spear their captives, The writer

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 83

goes on to say, " Then ensued a horrible scene, —
women screaming, women wrestling for life with
armed savages, women and girls writhing in
blood on the ground." Eventually two hundred
women were rescued. The number killed in-
cluded twenty-nine men, one hundred women,
thirty-two girls, sixteen boys.

No one can estimate the loss of life in peaceful
tribes, or measure the anguish and distress, not
to mention the incessant state of fear, in which
these tribes lived, due to the position and war
power of the Ngoni. When Dr Laws and Mr
Stewart passed through the country in 1878, in
pursuance of their search for a new site for the
healthy station already referred to, they every-
where met with traces of the Ngoni power and
cruel wars. Along the lake shore they found
the people compelled to live in swamps amid the
stench and death-dealing exhalations, struggling
for an independent foothold on mother-earth,
in some of which I have had, in carrying on
medical and evangelistic work in that district, to
be carried from door to door on a native's back
as the paths were all under water, or semi-liquid,
black, stinking mud. In other places they were
to be found crowded together on some neck of
land or secure place surrounded by a triple
stockade of strong trees. Dr Laws mentions

§4 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

one such, near what is now Bandawe station,
where the Chief Marenga (who now lives in
happier times in an extensive open village) had
a triple stockade round his village, the distance
between the stockades being from 30 to 60
yards and the interval filled by growing jungle.
At another place it was said, " The people here
might be said to be almost driven into the lake
by their relentless foes, the Ngoni. The stock-
ades ran 30 yards into the lake itself, and the
greater number of the huts were actually built
on the sandy beach." Even as far north as
Karonga's at the north end of Nyasa, they found
the dread of the Ngoni pervading the community,
and the old chief made a present of a young
bull and a tusk of ivory to Dr Stewart to induce
him to give him medicine to fight the Ngoni.
Along the lake shore, north of Bandawe, the hills
dip down with precipitous sides almost into the
lake, and the shingly beach was occupied by
villages where there was some degree of safety.
They managed to barely exist by planting
patches of cassava where any soil could be found
on the crags above, the people not daring to go
far from their homes. In the lake, towards the
north end, there are rocky islands. They are
huge accumulations of boulders — as if they had
gradually grown out of the water by added

THE COUNT RT AND MISSION IVORK 85

masses — on which there was little foothold or
place to make even a hut such as the natives
usually build. Yet on such islands scores of
poor Tonga, Tumbuka and Henga, had their only
sure place of abode. Driven off the face of the
earth, as might literally be affirmed, they had to
rear their families, cradling them in the cracks of
the rocks or crannies between the boulders, to
prevent their rolling off into the water. The
only shelter afforded was by making wattled
shades over which a few handfuls of grass were
laid to protect them from rain and sun. When
they considered it safe they would paddle their
canoes to the shore, and snatch a few hours' work
in their patches of potatoes or cassava and betake
themselves again to their rocky home.

Again, high up on the most inaccessible parts
of mountain ranges, the remnants of broken
tribes, and even whole tribes, had their dwelling.
They had their grain-stores hid away in the
darkness of the remnants of the great primeval
forest still met with in the ravines on the
mountain sides. Their dwellings were in some
cases no more than a hole scooped out on the
bare steep side of the mountain, and a few
sticks pushed into the earth above projecting
over the levelled spot, with a little grass over
them. The best of them was of the rudest

86 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

description, while all around the ground sloped
so sharply that one could not walk without
holding on to objects. Their crops were peas
which they cultivated on the declivities, by
sowing rows among the bracken which they
left as supports, and to prevent the soil from
being washed away in the rainy season. The
ingenuity of such a people in providing them-
selves with the bare necessaries of life, could
scarcely be admired properly, from the sad feeling
at the thought of how they had been hunted
and reduced to such a condition. On the ap-
proach of enemies they fled into the dark forest
and had nature for a guard. Wherever on the
mountain slope, at Mount Waller for instance,
space whereon to erect a hut could be found it
was utilised. Lying on board the steamer in
Florence Bay with the vast pile of that mountain
before us, the terraced slopes were seen to be
crowded with huts, a situation from which no
Ngoni army could dislodge them. One of the
most remarkable sites for human habitations
was found at Manchewe in the neighbourhood
of Mount Waller in 1895, when Dr Laws and
I were examining the district preparatory to
founding the Livingstonia Training Institution.
On ledges of rock on the face of a cliff" 250
feet high, a section of the Nyika tribe had

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION IVORK 87

their homes. Over the cliff, 200 yards apart,
two rivers poured their waters in a series of
waterfalls into the wooded gorge below. The
face of the cliff was covered with a profusion of
tree ferns, magnificent aloes in bloom, many
beautiful ferns and other tropical plants, from
among which tall, graceful trees sprang. A full
description of such a combination of natural
grandeur of rock and tree and waterfall is im-
possible. Here we want merely to picture
human beings living between earth and sky in
small circular huts, in some cases built on ledges
of rock not ten feet broad, and in other cases,
the houses being actually tied to tree roots
which have, in growing, split the rocks, and in
some cases dislodged great masses. The over-
hanging cliffs and mighty trees above, with the
depths below, formed the natural protection to
that poor hunted people. Access to the villages
was had by scrambling down the fissures in
the rock, or by hanging on to tree roots or
other projection which would afford help and
safety. The clusters of huts were partly hid
by the dense undergrowth, and only those
guided by the natives could have found the
safe ledges along which to pass. Viewed from
above one was forcibly reminded of the home
of the sea-fowls on the cliffs around our coasts.

88 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

In no case was the rocky ledge on which the
houses were built more than twenty feet broad,
and it made one shudder to look down on the
little children playing around the small huts,
with the roaring cataract at one side and a
sheer precipice above and below. In time of
war, or danger from falling rocks dislodged by
the rains, the caverns found near were the
hiding-place of these inhabitants of the rock.
Their homes were made seemingly in defiance
of nature's great law of gravitation, — forced
over the edge of the world, so to speak, by the
inhumanity of the Ngoni. If the Gospel can
do anything at all to better men's lives, there,
surely, we found a fit field for it.

Great must have been their surprise when
they saw many of their Ngoni enemies standing
on the heights above, calling to them that they
came on a peaceful errand, and inviting the
men up to speak to us. We arrived on a
Saturday evening, and having made friendly
overtures, we invited them up to our camp next
day to join in the worship of God. For the
first time in their lives and in that district, the
voice of praise and prayer was heard, and these
wretched people heard in the Ngoni speech the
word of peace and not of war. Surely that day
in that place the prophecy was fulfilled : " Let

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 89

the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout
from the top of the mountains." There came
to them that day the dawn of a better life, as
we shall see in due course.

While such a state of terror and distress was
known to exist over the country lying between
Ngoniland and Lake Nyasa, there remained the
vast country unexplored, lying to the west and
north of Ngoniland, upon which horde upon
horde of savage Ngoni waged a relentless war.
The same state of terror and distress obtained
there, but was known only by the spoils brought
back by the armies. Mr John Moir in 1879
made a long journey into that region, and every-
where saw evidence of the Ngoni raiding. Later
on several Europeans passed through the district,
and all met with the same story of Ngoni wrong-
doing and domination. Last year a careful
survey of the district was made by my colleague,
Dr Prentice, to find out suitable localities for
new stations, and I heard him relate in a public
meeting at home, an incident which may fit-
tingly find a place here as bearing upon the past
condition of the people all over that region.

In the course of his journey he came upon
a considerable community huddled together in
poor houses, in the centre of a great swamp,
through which he could not find a way. The

90 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

village was also strongly stockaded, and it was
evident that they had recently rebuilt it. Find-
ing it impossible to enter, he fortunately saw
a native who had been at one of our northern
Mission stations, and could understand what was
said, and the object of the expedition. By him
communication was had with the people in the
stockaded village, and Dr Prentice and his Ngoni
carriers were invited to enter. In conversation
with the affrighted natives, the chief said that
long ago they were hunted by the Ngoni, but
that in recent years they had heard of men
coming to them with a book which they had
accepted, and had consequently given up war.
Recently, however, they had heard that Mombera
the chief had died, and on the placing of a new
chief they feared that the Ngoni might again
break out, so they had taken the precaution of
removing their chattels to safe quarters to await
the attack which they apprehended. One of the
Ngoni carriers thereupon took from his pocket a
copy of the Gospel in Ngoni, and declared that
now the Ngoni had accepted the book, so that
they need no more fear an attack, and he added,
" Long ago we came with war to destroy, but
to-day we are one with the white teacher, and
come to bring you good news of peace and salva-
tion." To have witnessed such a scene more

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION fVORK 91

than repaid Dr Prentice's weariness and sickness
on his long and trying march.

The only tribe that withstood the Ngoni was
the Wemba to the south of Tanganyika, and
many and fierce were their contentions. The
picture of Ngoni power and incessant raiding is
complete when I add that, in Ngoniland, there
are representatives of at least sixteen different
tribes found among their slaves, their original
homes lying in the region from what is now the
Colony of Natal on the south, to Tanganyika on
the north, Nyasa on the east, and Bangweolo on
the west.

Such, then, was the character and such the re-
putation of the Ngoni, when the Mission pioneers
first met them. In 1878, Dr Laws and the late
Mr James Stewart found a probable site for the
new station on Mount Kaning'ina on the outskirts
of Ngoniland, and between it and the lake. Here
for a time the late William Koyi (the Kafir mem-
ber of the staff, to whose life and work a special
chapter is devoted) and a European were located
to observe the nature of the district, and, if
possible, to become acquainted with the Ngoni.
They managed to form an acquaintance with a
Swazi family — the Chipatula family — living not
far off, and through them obtained an intro-
duction to Mombera, the chief of the Ngoni, and

92 AMONG THE WILD NGONJ

to Mtwaro, his brother and successor. The
Chipatula family had been at one time strong
in power, and to them belonged most of the
Tonga who revolted and fled to the neighbour-
hood of Bandawe station, subsequently chosen
instead of Kaning'ina. Dr Laws realised the
nature and difficulties of the task set him, al-
though the suspicions of the Ngoni were aroused
and persisted for many years, by the Mission
having located itself among the Tonga slaves on
the lake shore, and having for a time occupied the
outpost at Kaning'ina as if to set a watch upon
them. Yet the wisdom of the step, and the
caution necessary in every movement, have been
fully justified in subsequent years.

William Koyi had been able to find out the
Ngoni centre of power, and to be received by
Mombera in a friendly manner. Between Dr
Laws's first and second visits to Kaning'ina,
however, a rising took place among the Tum-
buka and Tonga slaves in Ngoniland, which
at the time threatened to destroy all hope of
access to the Ngoni. They believed that the
freedom of man which the Mission expedition,
with its retinue of native servants and carriers
belonging to different tribes, embodied, had em-
boldened their slaves to revolt. Many of the
Tonga fled to the lake shore, but the Tumbuka,

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 93

less successful in their effort to escape, were
forced up Hora mountain (where now one of
our Ngoniland stations is situated), and starved
into surrender. Being allowed to come down to
drink at the fountains around the base of that
bare, rocky height, the Ngoni fell upon them,
and many hundreds were massacred. I have
seen the skeletons lying crowded together around
the foot of the hill, and also upon it, some being
found in caverns and at the foot of precipices
where they had been slain.

We need not describe in detail the transactions
between the Mission and the isolated workers
holding the outpost at Kaning'ina — a situation
often fraught with great personal danger through
the opposition of the Ngoni and the treachery of
the Chipatulas, who all the while pretended great
friendship. The fact was, the Chipatulas were
diminished in power and influence among the
Ngoni, and hoped, by means of friendship with
the white men, to regain their power. An ex-
ample of their duplicity we find in the statement
of the dead chief, Chipatula's brother, when Dr
Laws first met him. He was asked about the
chief, and his reply was that the chief was dead,
and that until he (Chisevi, the speaker) should
go out of mourning and be crowned, Mombera,
a headman, was ruling, whereas at that time the

94 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

chief over all the country was Mombera, and the
Chipatula family were ordinary members of the
tribe.

In 1879 Dr Laws first met Mombera. Ever
since then Mombera shewed a strong affection for
Dr Laws and unbounded confidence in him, and
through him as " the father of the white men,"
in those who followed him and lived under him.
The only parallel to this mutual regard which I
know is in the case of Moffat and Umziligazi, the
confrere of Mombera's father in the far south
in the beginning of the century, as recorded in
"Kobert and Mary Moffat." Here we have two
bloodthirsty, despotic chiefs, far apart but of the
same blood, visited by two missionaries of the
Cross, and without in the least degree to all ap-
pearance accepting any of their teaching, forming
a strong attachment to them, and till death main-
taining it, and speaking often of it. Living, as I
did, with Mombera for six years before he died,
I never knew of his having stopped a single war
party from attacking the helpless Tonga around
Dr Laws's station at Bandawe because of his be-
lief in God ; but over and over again, because of
his attachment to Dr Laws, he refused to sanction
war ; and to-day thousands of Tonga men and
women owe their life to Mombera's affection for
Dr Laws. Happy, indeed, must he be who was

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 95

thus used of God in saving the lives of so many
people, that they might, as they now do, hear
and receive God's Word.

But to proceed with the narrative. On the
24th January 1879 Dr Laws arrived at Mombera's
town and pitched his tent. Of his interview with
Mombera, he reported : *' We explained to him
that the object of our coming into the country
was to be friends of all the people, to teach them
about God and what He has done for us ; that
we also wished to teach children, so that they
might be able to read God's Word for themselves.
We showed them a Kafir Bible, from which
William Koyi read a few verses. We introduced.
Mr Moir as one who was ready to trade with
them if they desired to do so, and who loved
God's Word as we did. We gave Mombera a
present of various articles, with which he ex-
pressed himself very much satisfied. The head
councillor of the village answered for him that
they were glad of our visit, and that they were
willing to be friends, and thanked us for our
present. They expressed their disappointment
that we should remain among the Tonga on the
Lake shore, or even at Kaning'ina. * Why/ said
they, ' do you not come up and live witli us ?
Can you milk fish that you remain at the Lake ?
Come up and live with us and we will give you

96 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

cattle. We are the rulers ; the Tonga are under
us, although they have broken off from us at pre-
sent, and run away with our children ; we wish
you to make them send back our children. They
say they do not like to live with us because we
are cruel. We are cruel, but not to our children,
only to those against whom we go to fight. Our
children we must have back, and we would have
gone and fought with the Tonga, and driven them
into the Lake, had you not visited us and said
war was bad. We have been defeated ; but when
we set about fighting, we do not give up our
object, though the last Ngoni should be killed.
You say there should be peace ; send back our
children and there will be lasting peace.'

" We explained to them that our commission
was to bring the Gospel to every creature, to the
despised Tonga as well as to the Ngoni them-
selves ; that we required to have a port on the
Lake, so that we might get a supply of provisions,
calico, etc., from home, and this we could not
have if we were living with them while the
Tonga between us and the Lake shore were our
enemies ; that we showed our desire to benefit
them by not confining ourselves to the Lake
shore alone, but establishing a station at Kaning'-
ina, near Chipatula, where they could easily
learn about us at any time, and have the false

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 97

reports they heard about us from the Tonga
rectified by a visit. Regarding the sending back
of their children we explained that we had not
come to interfere with their quarrels, but that
we were willing to do what we could as peace-
makers, and advised that they should have
patience and live in peace, as the best way of
having their children brought back to them ;
and this we considered it to be their duty to
do, seeing that the Ngoni had been the original
invaders of the country and the disturbers of the
peace. They asked that, if a white man could
not be left there, one of their own tribe should
be sent to them. We told them that in course
of time we would endeavour to send a teacher to
them also. The chief sent us a small elephant's
tusk as a present, and sent a calf to our tent as
food. He also sent a small tusk which he said
he had intended as a present on our first visit."

On a subsequent visit paid to Mombera by Mr
Stewart, he refused to see him, being displeased
that the Mission should have visited other tribes
first. It was evident that the Ngoni desired an
exclusive alliance with the Mission, and, as will
afterwards be seen, this idea led to frequent
trouble, at times great and prolonged. In the
end of that year Kaning'ina observing station
was given up and Bnndawe founded. Dr Laws

G

98 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

very properly gauged the situation when he
wrote in October : " I do not think it would be
advisable to continue the station in that district
meantime. More good could be done by pushing
it forward into the country of the Ngoni."

Two years elapsed before this could be accom-
plished, during which time all round Bandawe
station Ngoni raiding went on. These raiding
parties did not always represent Mombera's army,
but were bands of wild youths who were eager
to obtain wealth, or wives and slaves, and
frequently were led by members of the villages
which they attacked, and who to revenge some
wrong done by their chief went up to the Ngoni
and formed a league with them. Reading
through the journals of Bandawe station in
those days we continually meet with references
to Ngoni raids on the surrounding villages, and
the continued unrest of the Tonga, which ren-
dered the work of the Mission futile, and created
difficulties and dangers in living among them,
as they clamoured for Dr Laws and the Mission
party to join them in fighting the Ngoni. It
was no easy task to live among them and declare
inability to help them in righting their wrongs,
and to have the nature of the work misjudged,
by expecting and demanding temporal good by
force of arms.

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK 99

For example, on November 17th, 1881, the
following entry occurs : *' Chikoko came to-day
asking about the Ngoni and what was to be
done. He described them as a wild beast, and
said, 'You cannot hold discussion with a wild
beast, you must go to him with a gun. The
Ngoni are like a snake, we, like a frog. When
a frog sees a snake he goes off hop, hop,
hop, to save himself. That is how we do,
and the people are leaving their villages and
coming to the beach all round.' He asked for
guns and powder. This Dr Laws at once re-
fused to give him, and told him we had no
intention of fighting with the Ngoni. We
brought the Gospel to the Tonga, and meant
to take it to the Ngoni, and if we fought with
them it was not likely they would be willing
to receive it. ' But,' said Chikoko, ' they will
kill you, and destroy your goods.' Let them
destroy them if need be — God will protect us."

" Tuesday, Dec. 6. In the morning a report
reached us that a party of Ngoni had made a
descent on the Matete valley and had killed five
men (three by another report), and had made
misasa on the east side of the stream. In the
forenoon Chikoko, Chimbano, Katonga, Marenga,
Mpimbi, Marengasanga, and other chiefs assem-
bled, wishing to have a consultation with Dr

lOO AMONG THE WILD NGONI

Laws. Dr L., S., and ]\rC. heard tliem. They
said the Ngoni had come down bringing a man
who had come from Matete, having made a
narrow escape from the hands of the Ngoni who
had surprised him and his companions while at
work in their gardens. The chiefs asked Dr L.
what they should do. Dr L. reminded them
that it was not his work to settle their disputes,
and that they must consider with themselves
what they should do, and do as if there were no
English here. But before, Dr L. was willing to
go and speak with the Ngoni, would he not go
to Matete to-day and see them ? Dr L. replied
that that last time when he was ready to go no
one knew exactly where the Ngoni were, and
to-day he was busy with other work. Dr L.
thought it very probable that should he go he
might be accompanied by a great many more
than he would desire, and that they would be
anxious to begin a fight with the Ngoni in which
he would be implicated. Chimbano said that
they were now hearing God's Word and obeying
it : that we had told them war was bad, and that
they should not sell people. They did not want
to fight but live in peace, and here were the
Ngoni coming and killing them, if Dr L. waited
till the steamer came with those whom he ex-
pected to go on to Mombera's, they would all be

THE COUNTRY AND MISSION WORK loi

killed, and the white man did not want to live
in the wilderness without them. As for the
Ngoni, they were too wicked to receive God's
Word. All the villages of the Tonga for many
miles north and south had been destroyed by the
Ngoni, only Chintechi remained — Mankambira
and Kang'oma had sold some of their people for
guns, and now they were able to repulse the
Ngoni, so they had better do the same.

" Dr Laws reminded them that a few months
ago Chimbano had gone and made war on Man-
kambira when told he was doing wrong, and that
such was a strange way of obeying God's Word, and
if he chose to sell his people for guns, the mrandu
would be between God and him. Dr L. further
said, * You want us to go and fight the Ngoni.'
Yes, that was the very thing. Well we are not
going to do it, we have told you so before, and
we tell you so again. W^hen we came here we
told you we were not to take part in any of your
quarrels and fight for one side or the other. We
have orders to this efi"ect from home, and Christ
has commanded His Word to be taken to all
nations. We went before to Mombera and made
friends with him. We do not wish to fight
against him, nor against you, but to teach all.
The Ngoni have received the Word of God in
the south and may do so on the hills here, but it

I02 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

is not likely they will receive us with it if we
fight with them here.' There was a good deal
more talk to the same effect, but not being able
to change our intention they showed their spite
by calling off all their people at work on the
station, and issuing orders that the first one
found working with the English was to have
his house burned down. In the afternoon only
two or three of the Chewa and Tumbuka tribes
were found working. In the evening many
people assembled, armed, and marched by moon-
light towards Matete. Last night a watch was
set and two men were detected in an attempt
to open the byre and fled. The watch set
again to-night as Tonga movements might be
as hurtful as Ngoni ones."

The next approach to Mombera and the Ngoni
occurred as described in the following entries in
the Bandawe Journal : —

"Tuesday, Jan. 10th, 1882. To-day William
Koyi with Albert and Jodi and carriers of goods
started for the hills to visit Mombera, going first
to the village of the Chipatula family."

"Jan. 25th. Albert returned from the hills
to-day, bringing a letter from WHliam Koyi.
They report great scarcity of food among the
Ngoni. . . . William Koyi has not yet seen
Mombera, but he has had communication with

THE COUNTRT AND MISSION WORK 103

Ng'onomo. Many of the people were favourable
to us but many were inclined to show hostility."

A temporary peace between the Ngoni and
Tonga was at this time established. William
Koyi took possession of Ngoniland for Christ,
and inaugurated a long period of waiting ere
the chief and his headmen permitted the work
to be fully carried on. Dr Laws also visited
Mombera that year, and again in 1883, but
despite earnest entreaties no permission could
be got to open schools, and in Chipatula's village
alone was preaching allowed. In the end of
1883 the Ngoni broke the peace they had agreed
to, and attacked Fuka's village near the Bandawe
station, and burned down the Mission school
which had been erected there.

Such were the Ngoni and their neighbours at
that time. War, bloodshed, famine and death,
with untold misery among those spared, was
the condition of countless thousands over the
region raided by the Ngoni. But a great forward
movement had begun in the Livingstonia Mission,
by the building of a wattle-and-daub hut near
Mombera's head village with the determination
to stay until expelled, full of faith that one day
the Gospel would win its way among the people
and become the bond of unity between bond
and free, raider and raided, in Ngoniland, and

I04 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

in the regions beyond. In tlie end of 1882, Dr
Laws wrote about it : —

"Aug. 30, 1882. William Koyi is doing a
noble work among the Ngoni which no European
could have accomplished. The people are jealous
and conservative in the extreme, and by no
means ready to credit disinterested motives in
others. William, by living among them, has
already to a great extent disarmed their sus-
picions. He is respected by all, and I think
enjoys the confidence of Mombera, the head
chief General liberty has not yet been accorded
to us to preach, but public opinion is rapidly
moving in that direction, and it only awaits
the decision of one or two of the head men of
the tribe to make the length and breadth of
the land free to the Gospel. Schools are at
present prohibited, but even with regard to
this a change is coming over the people so
that liberty to teach the children may next be
expected. Much hard work will have to be
done, but that is nothing, if the tribe can be
won for our Lord. The necessary basis of the
work is the good-will of the people, and I think
this foundation is being surely laid.

CHAPTER V

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA

CAPTAIN BURTON says, "It is always a
pleasure, after travelling through the semi-
repul)lican tribes of Africa, to arrive at the head-
quarters of a strong and sanguinary despotism."
Only those who have lived in Africa can under-
stand how it is so. Journeying inland from
Quilimane, I passed the then powerful Mat-
shiujiri tribe at war with the Portuguese on the
Shire river, and met a detachment of their
army under the famous Raposo, a man of
great dignity and valour. Further on I passed
through the Makololo remnants of Livingstone's
caravan, established as the powerful chiefs on
the Shire river. These were fine specimens of
humanity and raised one's enthusiasm for work
in Africa among such noble people. Getting up
to the highlands above the Shire, and meeting
with the very mixed people, " a people scattered
and peeled," it became at once evident that slavery
and war had crushed the spirit of the remnants of

io6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

Yao and Mang'anja peoples living there. Every
tenth man one met might be set down as a chief,
and the usual results of a few people and many-
chiefs were very evident. The life of the people
seemed to consist in a talking mirandu. Petty
quarrels of petty chiefs were abundant, and those
Europeans who had people living on their ground
were oppressed by their attempts to settle their
quarrels. It was a thankless business, certainly,
where the people delight in talking, and can con-
veniently keep the questions open over many
years and even for generations. For such people
one of the greatest blessings which have come to
them in recent years is that the British Govern-
ment has become their chief and united all.

Further on one was able to find at Mponda's a
powerful chief, and from a native point of view a
happy and prosperous people. Around Bandawe,
again, almost every village had a distinct chief,
and as one of these was sure to be trying to be-
come paramount, petty quarrels and wars were
common. Though all were of one tribe in reality,
there was no union among them, even against
their common foe, the Ngoni. Had the mission-
aries engaged to settle disputes no other work
could have been done ; they wisely espoused
no one's cause, but remained the friends of all,
had access to all, and saved disaster to their

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 107

work. The bane of the district was the multi-
tude of petty chiefs, and they were thus an easy
prey to the ravages of the Ngoni war parties.

But it was when 1 came into Ngoniland that
something like Burton's feelings were experienced.
The great expanse of country — hills and valleys
and plains — dotted over with numberless villages
built without regard to safety from attack, but
located where the best gardens and pasturage
were to be had, made one realise that here was a
people powerful and free, whom to settle among,
and win for Christ, was a work worthy a man's
life. Elsewhere I saw the people huddled to-
gether in small, dirty, stockaded villages, the sites
of which were frequently found to be surrounded
by marshes in order to give protection with the
least amount of work on fortifications, and the
people of one village ready to make war on the
next village a few yards ofi". But here in Ngoni-
land there was one royal residence, one ruler and
he in touch by means of the head-men in the
difi'erent parts of the tribe, with all the people
under him. Standing on the hills on the eastern
boundary of Ngoniland, and having pointed out
to me the various sections of the tribe all under
the one chief, Mombera, I remembered the remark
of a member of committee when I was leaving
home. He said : " If you have faith and patience

io8 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

to work aDcl win the Ngoni, you are going to the
finest field in Livingstonia." The full truth of
that remark is only now becoming evident.

But now to my introduction to the chief and
his advisers and head-men. No one who has
visited Mombera at his home will forget the dis-
comfort of the ordeal. I had been duly warned
as to his piercing gaze ; his questions as to age,
family, and whether married or single ; his criti-
cisms of one's personal appearance ; and, what
would never be wanting, his barefaced begging
for whatever he might fancy at the time. So,
to have the ordeal past, I set out with Messrs
Koyi and Sutherland to visit Mombera. He was
not in his customary place in the cattle kraal,
but we found him in the small house where he
received visitors and heard cases pleaded when
he was either too drunk or disinclined to go to
the kraal. The hut was enclosed by a neat reed
fence, the space within being smoothly beaten
down and scrupulously clean. Here we found
several parties, who were no doubt waiting to
plead some case before him, and not a few
hangers-on looking for the crumbs which might
fall to their lot when the beef and beer on which
Mombera subsisted were brought in. Having
taken a present for him, 1 found that several
of his wives were attracted to the place in hope

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 109

of sharing the same with their lord. No sooner
had they seated themselves and saluted the
stranger, than a loud voice, half angrily, half
jokingly, asked them what they wanted, and
ordered them to be gone. Mombera, with nearly
thirty wives, evidently had not a plethora of de-
votion for them. He said, " You have seen the
white man with his bundle, and you come here
expecting something. I am here every day, but
you leave me alone if there are no goods to
divide."

When we had been invited to enter the hut,
we did so by going down on our knees and
crawling in through the doorway, which was
only a couple of feet high and about the same
in width. As each entered, the royal salute had
to be given by raising the voice, and saying,
" Bayete." The joker of our party, who was
evidently on very familiar terms with Mombera,
shouted, "Be quiet," which was not objected to.
On entering the hut, it was some time before the
eyes became familiar with the semi-darkness, and
then what one saw did not betoken much splendour
of royalty. The hut was a round, low-roofed erec-
tion, with a well-laid and polished floor of clay.
In the centre a round depression in the floor con-
tained the fire composed of logs of wood. To the
right of the doorway, on a reed mat, sat Mombera

no AMONG THE WILD NGONI

himself. Beside him was a huge pot of beer, with
a calabash ladle, over which one of his wives pre-
sided, and tempered the beer with hot water. A
smaller pot, made of grass deftly woven so as to
be quite water-tight, was held by Mombera, who
took frequent draughts, and sometimes handed it
round to the people in his presence. If he did
so, or rose from his mat, all shouted, "Bayete."
When he received back the pot, or came in and
sat down, the company shouted, "Bayete." If
one rose to go to another part of the hut, or to
leave the royal presence, he shouted, " Bayete."

To describe the royal dress is not a difficult
matter. The chief part of Mombera's dress was
the numerous beautiful ivory rings which he wore
on his arms, and the rings of plaited brass wire
on his legs. In his ears he wore the usual heavy
knobs of ivory, about an inch and a half in
diameter, and his clothing was completed by a
few yards of coloured calico, carelessly thrown
over his limbs as he sat, consuming his beer or
talking over the cases brought to him for judg-
ment. When not in state at home, his clothing
consisted usually of his leg and arm ornaments.

It was to a new-comer a strange and trying
ordeal to have to sit and be stared at by
Mombera's one eye visible over the beer-pot;
to know that his remarks about one's appearance

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 1 1 1

were causing amusement to all in the hut, and
not to be able to speak, or, indeed, to have per-
mission to speak ; for until one has been greeted
by the chief, he must be silent. It was the
custom for the chief to refrain from greeting
one for some fifteen minutes after he came into
his presence. This was considered the best wel-
come to give, and however trying to one's patience,
it had to be borne. On one occasion, when my
wife and I had gone to visit a head-man by in-
vitation, we were kept sitting at the kraal gate
for over an hour before he came to greet us, and
point out a place whereon to pitch the tent. I
knew it was the custom to delay thus, and on
speaking about it to our host, he said, " Why
should I be in a hurry when you come to stay ?
If a man comes to your house, and you instantly
say, ' Good-morning,' that would mean, ' We have
only hunger here, so I need not delay you. You
may go.' "

The Ngoni salutation is " Tikuwona," " we see
you," a slight variation from the Zulu which is,
" We saw you." When Mombera had greeted
us thus, all in the hut were then free to do so
too, and one after another did so in a graceful
manner, and to each the proper reply was
"Yebo," signifying "Yes." Immediately the
tongues were loosened and Mombera plied his

112 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

enquiries, and passed his judgment on me. Com-
parisons were made between Mr Sutherland and
myself, — who was the elder, were we brothers,
why had we straight hair of the same colour,
when did we come out of the sea? for the natives
thought the white men were spirits who had left
their proper dwelling in the water to come and
trouble the people. When a convenient oppor-
tunity could be got, Mr Koyi informed the chief
who I was, and that I had come to ask per-
mission to stay in the country to teach the
people the Word of God, and, being a doctor,
that I would attend to all who sought help and
medicine.

On this an old toothless man, who may be
called the chiefs mouth, repeated Mr Koyi's
statement to the chief Then the chief replied
and his words were taken up by the " mouth "
and repeated to Mr Koyi. They were to the
ejBfect that he himself was only the chief and
the country did not belong to him but to the
people. If his head-men agreed to my staying
among them he would be very glad and would
not offer any objections. He was thereupon
thanked for his words and requested to call
together his counsellors so that I might meet
them and get their permission to stay. This
he promised to do at an early date.

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 113

On his rising to leave the hut all shouted
" Bayete," and when he was outside a rush was
made by those present for the beer-pot, and a
hearty draught was taken. When Mombera
entered he accused them of havinsf drunk his
beer, but no one of course had touched it — who
indeed would dare to touch the chiefs beer, and
who of those present had need to steal, when they
were already bursting with what he had so freely
given % The one predominant feature in native
life is the flattery and insincerity of the people.
In the chief's presence it reaches a climax.

The present for Mombera consisted of some
coloured calico, brass wire, beads, and a few
trinkets such as would please children at home.
He looked at it and demanded a kind of bead
of which we had none. With the most bare-
faced impertinence and incivility, he replied
saying he would not like to insult the new
white man by refusing what he had brought,
but as there was nothing to be seen, he would
ask me to bring something with me another day.
The trinkets, however, took his fancy and he
adorned his " crown " with some small lockets
and chains, and handed the other things to those
who were in the hut.

Leaving the royal presence, not very favour-
ably impressed by Mombera and his drinking

H

114 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and begging, I was conducted to the seraglio
where the numerous wives of the chief were
lying about sunning themselves, or were engaged
making beer or cooking meat for their despotic
lord. Each greeted the stranger and begged for
cloth, beads, and brass wire. Idleness seemed to
be the bane of the women and one can imagine
that many quarrels and jealousies would arise,
demanding the attention of the queen or head
wife, whose sphere it was to rule the harem and
regulate the number and position of the wives
which were constantly being added to, or put
out of the way. Mombera had his favourites;
these improved their chance and sometimes
inveigled him into a union with some near rela-
tive of their own. His wives were distributed
among his principal villages, either as properly
dowried wives, or as the handmaids of such to
do their work, and be ready to entertain their
husband and his guests whenever he happened
to reside at their village. This custom of having
several establishments kept up, is the only valid
excuse I could ever get for the practice of poly-
gamy. A man would say, " I have gardens and
a village at so and so, how can I have only one
wife ? Who will cook my food and hoe my
gardens there ? "

The lot of many of Mombera s wives, and of

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 1 1 5

many wives of others, was not altogether a happy-
one. In one instance a principal wife — the chief
wife in fact — was slighted by Mombera for some
reason and was discarded altogether, and only
on his death could anyone be got to espouse her
cause, and to put her in her proper position. In
another case a wife residing at a distant village
at which he had not lived for several years, was,
rightly or wrongly, accused of adultery. The
chief, whose neglect of her had been matter of
common talk and reprobation in the tribe, sent
his executioner and killed her and her children.
Immediately after that, he sent a messenger to
inform us that he had married another wife — the
twenty-sixth. When Mr Koyi remonstrated with
him and said he thought he would be afraid to
increase his troubles in that way, he laughingly
replied, "I do it for peace; this sets them on
each other and they leave me alone."

Mombera had a dual character. He was at
his best in the early part of the day, before he
became intoxicated, and so by sun-rise people
with cases to be judged went to see him. Then
his affability and generous behaviour were pleas-
ant to see, but toward afternoon when the beer
he continually sipped began to act, his civility
was at an end for the day and he was foul-
mouthed and quarrelsome. When he was sober

ii6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

be delighted to play with his children, and mani-
fested a very pleasing interest in them and their
mothers, but when drunk he drove them from his
presence with obscene curses. He had a great
interest in old people, of whom he had always a
number living in huts within the seraglio. He
treated them with respect and provided for them
from his own table. If he was shown any thing-
new and strange he would generally have it
shown to the old people, and while they knelt
before him in due respect, one could notice with
pleasure their trustful attitude and how he would
heartily respond to any observation of wonder
they might express. On one occasion he sent
for my wife's sewing-machine that the old people
in his village, who were unable to walk over to
the station, might see it at work before they died.
He said they would have to report to the ances-
tral spirits how many new and wonderful things
had now become known to the people. When I
went to exhibit its working, from some cause or
other it could not be got to sew at all. In vain
I tried to put it right, and Mombera, who had
sat looking on with unusual patience for some
time, unceremoniously rose and walked away,
saying, " You need not try. You told your wife
where you were going." As a polygamist ruler
witli many strings to hold in his hand, he be-

FIRST VISIT TO MOMBERA 1 1 7

lieved that success is impossible if the wives are
taken into confidence, and he supposed the same
of us.

I have been a witness of some of the sweetest
of life's incidents in the behaviour of Mombera
to children and old people, just as at other times
he has exhibited some of the darkest phases of
heathen corruptness. But he was neither cruel
nor bloodthirsty as many chiefs of the Zulu tribes
have been. He discountenanced the poison ordeal
which was adopted from the Tonga slaves, believ-
ing rather in their own trial by boiling water,
which at most only maimed the person and did
not destroy life as the muave did. He was con-
sidered to be " too soft " by the more degraded
and fiery dispositions, and had no delight in con-
demning to death. Only two instances of the
death-penalty being inflicted by Mombera came
under my own observation, during all the years
1 lived under him. In one case he caused a man
to be put to death for cattle-stealing, after having
before pardoned him for the same ofi"ence. He
hanged him from a tree near our house as a
warning to those who about that time were steal-
ing from us, and the body hung for three days
before the white ants ate the rope and let the
hyenas get it. The other case was where a mem-
ber of the royal family killed a slave, who had

ii8 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

run away from him and put himself under the
protection of another master. Mombera by his
action was esteemed more highly by the slaves,
and he knew what would conciliate those who
were the great majority of the tribe.

But despotic rule is often the only kind suit-
able among uncivilised people. Until the people
are governed by higher principles than those
common among " nature - peoples," a despotic
ruler is a divine institution required to keep in
check greater evils. I have been told by thought-
ful old men that under Zongandaba, the father of
Mombera, the Ngoni were purer, more truthful
and more honest. Fornication, adultery, steal-
ing and witchcraft were punished by death,
whereas, under Mombera, capital punishment
rarely followed these offences. The custom of
the Tonga and Tumbuka of settling such cases
by payments of goods had been adopted, and
immorality had increased, while the respect
shown by children to their parents and seniors
had decreased.

CHAPTER VI

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN

A WEEK after our visit to Mombera a mes-
senger arrived to say, that next clay we
were requested to come and repeat our words
to the head-men of the tribe. We had heard
various rumours in the interval, which had caused
us no little anxiety as to what would be the re-
sult of the meeting. It was said that I had come
with many loads of calico, beads, brass wire, and
all the many things the Ngoni desire, and at the
meeting I was to enricli the people and make
them great. Great was the excitement of the
people over this piece of news. How such an
idea came to them takes us back to the first
meeting of Dr Laws with them, when the subject
of war was referred to. Dr Laws had said that
by obeying "the Book" and giving up war and
plunder, they would become richer and greater
than they were. The spiritual sense in which the
statement was made was not perceived by the
Ngoni, and from that day many were the theories

120 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

expressed of how "the Book" was to bring riches
and greatness to them. The native lives only
for the present and could not be expected to see
the force of such a statement, but it served to
emphasise the special work we, unlike trading
Arabs who were the only foreigners they had
seen, had come to do. We were "the people of
the Book " and not for trade. The Book was
talked of, near and far, and became a source of
wonder and enquiry, so that even from the start,
while no systematic mission work was allowed,
not a day passed on which some information was
not given and seed sown, which, as we now view
our work, has borne good fruit. It was no un-
common occurrence to see a group of strangers
from a distance, at the house with the request to
be shown the Book, — they had heard of it and
wished to see it.

On the morning of the great council of ama-
duna we were in the chief's cattle kraal at eight
o'clock, and the whole day till three o'clock in
the afternoon was occupied in talking. The
cattle-fold is the centre of every Ngoni village.
At the royal kraal, where we met, it was a
circular space about eighty yards in diameter
fenced with young trees. Around it in ever
widening circles the huts of the people were
built. The gate was at the side nearest the river,

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MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 121

and at the opposite side was a smaller gate lead-
ing from the chief's quarters, which were fenced
off from the houses of the ordinary people. Tn
the centre of the cattle-fold there was one of the
huge ant-hills which are so numerous throughout
Ngoniland,

Soon after our arrival, troops of warriors fully
armed marched in and took up their situations
in the enclosure. There were eventually several
hundreds present, but perfect order and quiet
were observed. When all the warriors had
assembled, the chief councillor, Ng'onomo, and
the others came in. There were eleven present
that day. Accompanying the councillors was a
large number of men of inferior rank but possess-
ing certain powers in the tribe. The councillors
seated themselves in a semi-circle near to us.
After the usual delay each saluted the Mission
party, and then Mr Koyi rose to open the busi-
ness. They were told I had come desiring to
stay among them, and to teach them the Word
of God, and to heal the sick. Several of the
councillors spoke, and all were very warm in
their expressions of welcome and readiness to
give permission to my staying. All went
smoothly until Ng'onomo got to his feet. He
began by performing a war-dance, which, being
accompanied by the war-shouts of the warriors

122 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

present, and as I could not understand its mean-
ing, discomfited me not a little. I was reassured
when I caught the broad smile on Sutherland's
face as he looked at me.

All the nice bits of native politeness and flattery-
had been said, and Ng'onomo, bent on the one
question of war and conquest, desired to give the
meeting a more practical turn. He finished his
war-dance, and after recapitulating the speeches
of the others, he plainly said that they were not
to give up war ; that they were accustomed from
their infancy to take the things of others and
could not see any reason why they should change
their habits. He said, "The foundation of the
kingdom is the spear and shield. God has given
you the Book and cloth, and has given to us the
shield and spear, and each must live in his own
way." To emphasise this utterance, he again
danced. We had adopted the plan of replying
to anything said when the speaker sat down.
Mr Koyi replied, saying that the Book was given
to all mankind, and that as we were all the
children of God it teaches us that we ought to
live in peace with each other. Here I may say
that there is no word in Ngoni for "peace."
They now use an imported term, — their own
expression which comes nearest the idea being
" to visit one another."

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN

123

No new question was raised at that time, but
two crucial matters with the Ngoni in those days
were brought up. They had been brought up
when Dr Laws met the council, and for many a
day constituted posers for us. One was the flight
of the Tonga to Bandawe, and the other was their
desire to have the exclusive right to the presence
of the white men in the country. Mr James
Stewart in 1879 visited Mombera, and wrote
thus : — " The next day, Saturday, we reached
Mombera ; but when I enquired for the chief,
I was told he was ' not at home.' It was soon
evident that he was either designedly absent, or
that he simply denied himself. We saw only
inferior head-men, who expressed dissatisfaction
that we had not come to settle among them, and
that they did not understand why we should visit
other chiefs before doing so. I have no doubt that
they were sincere in their desire to make friend-
ship with us ; but an exclusive alliance would
only suit them. We heard that they were tired
of waiting for us, and intended now to take their
own way, which, I fear, means war before long.
They have lost both power and prestige within
the last two years, and may now be resolving to
regain both. I heard later that there are two
parties in their council. Mombera and Chipatula
and their head-men are desirous of peace and to

124 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

invite us still to come among them, while Mtwaro
and Mperembe wish to keep us at a distance, and
to recover their power by force of arms."

Ng'onomo asked what I was to do to bring back
their former slaves, the Tonga, who had revolted
and carried aw^ay some of their wives and children,
their war-songs, and their war-dances. So long,
he said, as we would not restore these, so long
must they war to bring them and all other
surrounding tribes into subjection, and if I
would not in a peaceful way bring back the
Tonga people, they would do so by war or
drive them into the Lake. It required not a
little caution to answer this statement, so as to
still the excitement of the crowd of people
present by whom such words were applauded.
I directed Mr Koyi to say that no doubt they
had many questions in which they were deeply
interested, but as I had only just come among
them, it was scarcely fair to demand of me a
means of settling them before I had become
acquainted with them and had learned their
language.

My remarks had the effect of drawing a very
sensible speecli from an old councillor. He said
I was only now like a child, unable to speak or
walk, and as they did not call upon their children
to go out to seek strayed cattle, or give judgments

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 125

in the affairs of the tribe, so they should not call
on me to settle their great matters while I yet
could not speak or walk. That statement turned
the discussion into more favourable lines, and al-
though the other question of leaving tlie Tonga
and Bandawe and settling among the Ngoni ex-
clusively was brought up, we were able to satisfy
the people without exciting their jealousies, or
ao-reeino- to take sides with them ao;ainst their
runaway slaves. Ng onomo afterwards returned
to the war question, and endeavoured to show
that their war raids on other people wore not a
bad thing. He said they were surrounded by
people whom he called slaves, and that it was'
not their desire to kill them, but they endeav-
oured merely to chase them into the mountains,
and when their food and flocks were secured, to
say to them, " Come down now and let us all live
together." It was conquest and not murder they
pursued, as they could not bear the idea that any
people should point the finger at them, and say,
"X" (a click, expressive of contempt). He
made an original proposal which was not less
impossible for me to carry out. If we would
atjree to countenance one more raid on the
people at the north end who were rich in
cattle, and would pray to our God that they
might be successful, they would, on their

126 AMONG THE WILD NGONl

return, give us part of the spoil in cattle and
wives, and would proclaim that the Book was
to be accepted by the whole tribe. Here there
was no place for parrying, and the reply was
given emphatically enough that we were not
the framers of the words in the Book, but
merely the teachers charged to tell all men the
words which were God's and binding on us as
well as on them, and that when God said,
"Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not kill,"
we had no power to change the command, and
could not in any way countenance their wars.
Then Ng'onomo asked if we would shut the
Book and not pray against them if they went
out. I said I had come to teach these words
and could not but do so.

An interesting statement was made by one old
man. He had evidently watched the life and
character of Koyi and Sutherland, and con-
sidered its bearing on the practical things of
daily life. He began by saying they were glad
I was a doctor, and hoped I had medicine to
make Mombera live long. He went on to speak
of other medicine which he thought we possessed
of which they had no knowledge. He said, " We
see you white people are not afraid to go about
all over the country, and you settle among different
tribes and become the friends of all. How is that?

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 127

You have medicine (natives think everything is
done by medicine as charms) for quieting people's
hearts so that they do not kill you. We cannot
do so. We are not even at peace among ourselves.
We speak fair words to each other, but that is
not how we feel. We have also noticed that
your servants are ' biddable,' and when ordered
to do anything at once do it. It is not so with
ours. We tell a slave to do a thing, and he says,
* Yes, master, I have heard ' ; but he does not do
it unless he chooses. We hope you will give us
medicine to make our slaves obedient, and to
quiet our enemies." A better opportunity there
could not have been for giving them a little plain
instruction, and for putting in a word for schools
which had been proscribed since the Mission
began. Koyi, whose speech was as clear and
pointed as theirs, made good use of his oppor-
tunity. He told them we had no medicine in
their sense, but the words of the Book were
stronger than medicine when taken to heart.
He quoted the golden rule, and said, " That's
the medicine for quieting enemies everywhere,
and was that which made all tribes the friends
of the white men." Then as to making servants
obedient, li.e said the Book had words for both
servants and masters. It told servants to be
obedient and honour their masters ; and masters

128 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

to be kiDcl to and patient with their servants,
and give them their due in all things. He added
that our servants were obedient and happy be-
cause they were being taught the Word of God,
and because they were not our slaves, but were
paid their wages regularly. He advised them to
try it among theirs, and it would have the same
happy results. Then he attacked once more
the stubbornness of the people in refusing to
allow schools. He said in doing so they were
refusing the medicine which they were crying
out for. As a native only could, he ridiculed
them, and by happy and forcible illustrations
made them hesitate in the position they held
in refusing to allow schools. He said, " You
are like a sick man in distress, who sees others
being cured and cries for the same medicine,
but refuses it when offered." One replied
by saying, " H we give you our children to
teach, your words will steal their hearts ; they
will grow up cowards, and refuse to fight for us
when we are old ; and knowing more than we
do, they will despise us." That was met by
saying that the Book had a command for
children which they must allow to be good,
viz., "Honour thy father and thy mother."
They would not be taught anything wrong,
for all men are taught to fear God and honour

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 1 29

the King. The school question was not dis-
cussed further ; but no doubt some good was
done, and the solution hastened by what had
passed, although it was, as we shall see, two years
after this ere liberty was given to open schools.

One other point it was necessary to refer to,
as only the district immediately under Mombera
was open to the Mission, so I requested leave to
go about the country, as my desire was to help
all. The districts of Mtwaro, Mperembe, and
Maurau, brothers of the chief, were closed to
us, not more by the hostility of these sub-chiefs,
than by the jealousy of Mombera and his ad-
visers, who desired to have the white men all
to themselves, no doubt in view of the riches
which were expected to come through them.

I was advised to stay with the others, as all
were not favourable to our presence in the
country; and while we would be guarded if in
their midst, they could not tell what might
happen if we went beyond Mombera's own
district into that of any of his brothers. This
was not satisfactory, and as it was probably
from jealousy, we pushed for liberty to go
about. It was denied by the councillors, who
repeated their reasons.

It was, however, clear in all that was said, that
the real object of our presence among them was

I

I30 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

made manifest. However mistaken their ideas
were as to the teaching of the Book, we were
understood to be men with a message to be re-
ceived, and they were honest enough to say they
did not want it. No advance on previous liberties
was made, but our position as neither wishing to
bear rule over them nor to work for their over-
throw, but to teach the Word of God, was made
plain once more.

Then came the not very agreeable business
of presenting the gift which we had taken for
the councillors. There was considerable excite-
ment visible generally, as each was presented
with twelve yards of red cloth, a kind much
valued by the head-men. As each had his por-
tion presented to him there was an ominous
silence for a time, and then a burst of derisive
laughter. Some turned it over on the ground
as if afraid to handle it. Some got up and
measured it. One man took his and flung it
among the crowd of warriors. One came over
and said he did not want cloth. One only had
the grace to thank me. They were reminded
that we could not attempt to enrich them with
goods, but had merely, according to their custom,
brought " something in our hand " as a visible
token of the friendship our hearts desired. One
replied saying they saw we were not bent on

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 131

enriching them, but it was good to remember
that they had great hunger for various kinds of
cloth and beads, and another day perhaps they
would receive more. If I had come among them
expecting the grace and politeness of civilization,
instead of their proud indifference and sovereign
contempt for the offering of friendship, my feel-
ings would have suffered more than they did,
but I was heartily glad when they rose up to
go, and that the wild rumours of their expecta-
tions which we had heard for some days, found
no more pronounced substantiation than their
contemptuous treatment of what I thought was
a sufficient gift for the purpose in view. The
armed warriors, who appeared to have come as
the bodyguard of the head-men, quietly filed out
of the kraal and we were left alone.

Mombera was not present, and the councillors
went to his hut to report to him the matters
which had been talked over. Mr Koyi was
called, and it seems the chief had enquired the
reason why war dancing had been engaged in.
He was angry at Ng'onomo and told him that
the object of the gathering was not to discuss
tribal matters with me, but to hear what I had
to say. After a little the rest of us were called
into the chiefs hut, where Ng'onomo and some
of the other councillors were being regaled with

132 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

beef and beer. The stiffness and formalities of
the kraal meeting were absent, and no dis-
appointment was visible. Mombera delivered a
long speech bidding me welcome among them,
and expressing joy that I was skilled in medicine.
He himself was often sick, he said, and doubtless
I had noticed that there were few old men pre-
sent that day, the reason being that they were
all dead, and if I could give them long life it
would be good. He did not say how many
never reached old age because they were killed
in battle. If there were any doubts as to the
full security of our position in the tribe, they
were accentuated when Mombera repeated the
warning of the councillors, that I should settle
along with the others and not go into other dis-
tricts. No doubt there was some desire to have
exclusive possession of the white men, but it was
noteworthy that although word had been sent to
all the sub-chiefs to come to the palaver none had
come, and none of their head-men were present.

With too great eagerness, perhaps, I pressed
for permission to visit his brother, Mtwaro, at
Ekwendeni, saying my desire was to become
acquainted with all in the tribe and be of use
to all. He and Mtwaro were not on friendly
terms at that time, but as Mtwaro was heir-
apparent it seemed advisable for the permanence

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 133

of our work, in the event of Mombera's death,
to become known to Mtwaro and his head-men.
Not since 1879, when Mr John Moir visited
Mtwaro and had opened the way for others by-
friendly dealings with him, had anyone com-
municated with that sub-chief, and he had only
once visited the Mission station. His armies
were known to be out towards the Lake very
frequently, and we all thought an attempt should
be made to gain Mtwaro's influence as Mombera's
had been gained.

After my statement had been interpreted to
Mombera and he had consulted with some of
those in the hut, he gave permission to visit
Mtwaro and was thanked. He seemed to think
that that would soften my heart, and so he plied
his begging and his demands for cloth, beads,
brass wire, big guns, little guns, gunpowder,
dogs, bulls to improve his breed of cattle,
needles, thread, and, above all, an iron box,
with lock and key, in which to keep his valu-
ables, which he said his wives and his councillors
were in the habit of stealing. He said he would
come over to see me when I could give him these
things. It was hard to take all in good part and
be at ease under his gaze over the beer-pot, and
gracefully excuse our non-compliance with his
overwhelming demands. Nothing but a desire

134 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

to be a means of blessing to such a chief and
tribe, would prove an inducement to live the life
and experience which may be said to have begun
that day. Forgetting the things not agreeable
to flesh and blood, we soon after took our de-
parture, feeling that some advance had been made
in the work which we had come to take part in.

It was one advantage having to deal with a
council rather than a single individual, and be
continually subject to his capricious mind. As
the Ngoni had a settled council who were not
without dignity and caution in their deliberations,
it was evident they had reciprocated our words
as far as they could, as, not being over-anxious
to allow us all we asked, they were prepared to
make good all they allowed. The occasion was
very similar to that on which Augustine came
to Ethelbert as the first papal missionary to
Britain. When he sent word on landing that
'* he had come with the best of all messages,
and that if he would accept it he would ensure
for himself an everlasting kingdom," Ethelbert
would not commit himself, but answered with
caution. When at last a meeting was convened,
and Augustine *' had preached to him the Word
of life," as Bede says, Ethelbert replied, ** Fair
words and promises are these ; but seeing they
are new and doubtful, I cannot give in to them,

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 135

and give up what I and all the English race have
so long observed." But unlike Augustine, who
was accorded the privilege of bringing any one
of the people over to the new faith, we were told
that the chief and council would first have to be
taught, and if they considered our message safe,
they would give us full liberty to teach the people.
It may here be noted how different has been
the introduction of the Mission to all the other
peoples in Livingstonia. In all the other districts
the missionaries were hailed as the friends and
protectors of the people. All were subject to
stronger tribes, by whom they were constantly
harried, or were trying to maintain an indepen-
dent existence surrounded by their enemies;
hence they gladly welcomed the missionary,
hoping that his presence would prove their
safety from their enemies. In no single case
did they welcome him on account of his mes-
sage ; and the trouble in those early days was
that he was pestered for medicine, guns and
powder to kill their enemies. The Missions in
those districts had the preparatory work to do
in making the people understand the reason for
their presence, just as we had of another kind in
Ngoniland. Through the faithful testimony of
Messrs Koyi and Sutherland, the Ngoni had by
the time of my arrival come to understand clearly
what our message really was. They needed not

136 AMONG THE WILD NGONJ

our protection from their enemies, as they were
masters of the country for many miles around ;
and, indeed, their pride would not have allowed
them to think that in any way a white man or
two could be of any profit to them. They knew
our teaching would strike at their sins of un-
cleanness, lying, war, murder and stealing, and
they were, unlike the so-called deceitful, vaccil-
lating African, at least honest in their treatment
of our words. There was great good in having
got their ear so far ; and even distinct refusal
was far better than ready compliance, to be as
readily retracted when occasion arose. It is far
better to have to deal with an opposing council
of head-men with power than with a chief him-
self, even although he agrees at the time.

If before leaving home I received one bit of
advice more often than any other from Dr Laws,
who had experience, along with Mr James Stewart
and Mr Koyi, of the dangerous and trying work
of gaining an opening among the Ngoni, it was
that I should proceed gently and push nothing
beyond what was a wise point. On such occa-
sions as the meeting referred to, the judgment
and caution of Mr Koyi were invaluable, and he
was of opinion that we should not endanger our
position with Mom]3era at that stage, while not
sure that we would be received by Mtwaro. We
sent a reply that we had no desire to act con-

MEETING WITH THE HEADMEN 137

trary to the chief's wishes in the matter, and
that until he could send someone to introduce
us to his brother, we would refrain from going.
It must be remembered that we were merely in
the country on sufferance at that time. We did
not even own the site of our house, and were not
by any means assured of a permanent residence
among them, so that we would not have been
acting wisely had we been more anxious to as-
sert our independence, than to improve the, as
yet, slight hold we had on Mombera and his
councillors. There are three special qualifica-
tions necessary in every missionary, viz., grace,
gumption, and go. Prayer and the exercise of
it will ensure the first ; where one may get the
second, I know not, but the want of it is ac-
countable for more failures in the foreign field
than anything else ; and the third, although in-
valuable, can only be right as the outcome of the
former. To spend years among the Ngoni and
be denied many liberties may, indeed, be an
undignified position for a free-born Briton ; but
mere questions of dignity ought not to trouble
the slaves of Christ in the work to which they
have been called. Little by little, as we shall
see, our position was improved among the Ngoni,
and the years of apparent unfruitfulness were
necessary preparation for the intelligent accept-
ance of the Gospel.

CHAPTER VII

MISSION LIFE AND WOEK IN THE DARK DAYS

ABOUT the time when I was beginning to
realise how actual mission work differed
from the romantic ideas of it too commonly
entertained at home, and overcharged with
which many enter the field, a notable mis-
sionary— A. M. Mackay — far away in Uganda
was writing these words : — " Current ideas at
home as to mission work are, I fear, very
different ; but I have not heard of any part
of Africa, east or west, where the native bear-
ing to the Missions is different from what it
is in this neighbourhood. It is a system of
beggary from beginning to end, and too ofteu
of suspicion, and more or less hostility too.
Only when these first adverse stages are passed
can we expect to do any real good. Disarming
suspicion and securing friendship are a slow
process, but an absolutely necessary one. They
are most wearisome and trying to the faith and

temper of those engaged in the task, while they
138

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 139

yield no returns to show in mission reports ; yet
on their success depends the future of our work.
Hereabout we are so far from the reapiiig stage,
that we can scarcely be said to be sowing. We
are merely clearing the ground, and cutting down
the natural growth of suspicion and jealousy, and
clearing out the hard stones of ignorance and
superstition. Only after the ground is thus in
some measure prepared and broken up, can we
cast in the seed with hope of a harvest in God's
good time,"

These are words of truth and soberness, as every
real worker can testify from his own experience.
At this time, being unable to move about among
the villages with any degree of freedom, we were
often compelled to pass the time on the station,
and were assailed by overbearing and impudent
men and women, clamouring for whatever they
saw with us whicli they coveted. To say we
were annoyed is to use a mild term for our
experience. From morning till night the house
was beset by natives begging. They allowed
us no privacy, and our rooms were darkened by
a crowd pressing round the windows and flatten-
ing their noses against the panes. If one ventured
out his steps were dogged by a clamouring mob.
Any attempt to divert their attention from beg-
ging by showing pictures, explaining the work-

I40 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

ing of apparatus, or manufacture of articles, was
treated with indifference. Time was of no value
to them, and so for many a long day the vicinity
of our house was the meeting-place of all who
sought diversion through watching the white man,
or begging for the clothes off his back. Men who
could have been well clothed appeared in rags,
which they took pains to show. Others would
come in a nude state, hoping to appeal to us
thereby. When they wanted cloth and beads
they complained of hunger, which they indicated
by drawing themselves in and simulating an
empty stomach. If one offered them food they
disdainfully rejected it, and explained that their
hunger was for calico. Their importunity and
arrogance were at times almost maddening, and
sometimes the only relief got was by shutting
up the house and going away to spend a few
hours on Njuyu mountain and leaving them
alone. We could not reason them out of their
begging habits. They could not entertain our
view of the disgraceful and undignified habit.
They would say in flattering terms, "We are
praising you by begging. Do men beg from
people who are poor and mean ? "

But while the annoyance was great, their un-
reasonableness and selfishness made it well-nigh
impossible to bring any sort of benefit within

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 141

their reach. When we began to make bricks for
housebuilding, and were thereby able to put some
cloth in circulation among them, the work was
repeatedly stopped by some head-man or com-
bination of natives, who desired that they only
should have the benefit of it. The very people
who had been the friends of the Mission at first
became our enemies, and did all in their power to
compel us to submit to their demands to supply
them with whatever they wanted. They had
given up the spear and had been coming to our
Sunday service, but as we would not enrich them
with earthly possessions they turned against us,
and reviled us for having cheated them, as they
were now poorer than when they followed their
own ways. Three brothers, Chisevi, Injomane
and Baruke, the heads of the neighbouring
villages, became openly hostile and threatened
to go to Bandawe with war, because we would
not pay them for being at peace with us. Injo-
mane— the murderer of his own mother, cruel and
treacherous — set out and attacked a village near
Bandawe. On his return the war-party made a
demonstration at the station, by engaging in war-
dances, and speaking against the Mission and the
" news." The effect of these war-parties going
out was that we were left without mails and
supplies at times, as the Tonga at Bandawe, on

142 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

whom we had to depend for carriers, were afraid
to venture on the road.

From the native point of view, those members
of the Chipatula clan who had befriended the
Mission, and had been the means of our gaining
an entrance to the country, were right in attri-
buting their position to their friendship for us.
They were the sons of a once powerful chief who
had lost his kingdom. They hoped that through
the Mission they might regain their former posi-
tion. They had heard and accepted Dr Laws's
statement, that by serving God they would attain
to greater riches than by using the spear. They
did not apprehend the spiritual aspect of the case
and gave expression to the only need they felt.
Their expectations had been disappointed and
they had, in befriending the Mission, become
to a certain extent outcasts from the Ngoni who
were all along opposed to the settlement of the
Mission. They had not learned to work and now
that their spears brought them nothing, they
were indeed poorer in all that they valued. It
was often a trying situation to meet their attacks
and to quiet their feelings, and in it all we saw
how not the words of man but the Divine Spirit,
can reveal to men their spiritual state and make
plain to them the Word of Life. It was pecu-
liarly hard on William Koyi, when alone among

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 143

them, to hear the Gospel accused in this way,
and with a better intention than judgment he
made presents to them to keep them quiet. He
was discovering that it was an unsafe kind of
peace which was thus produced, and when I
arrived the whole question was discussed. We
resolved that such a practice must be stopped.

As time went on matters did not improve.
When our determination not to pay anyone for
coming to hear the Word preached, or to give
presents in answer to the demand of those who
came to beg, became evident to them, they used
other methods in trying to coerce us. Our cattle
were stolen from the herds when feeding, or from
the fold at night, and we were never able to
detect the thief. Trees brought in for firewood
or housebuilding disappeared ; clothing hung out
to dry was stolen, and our fields and gardens
cleared of produce. As we were living among
them on sufferance, there was no healthy senti-
ment to which we could appeal when wrong was
done to us. If we could not detain the thief
in the very act there was no case. During the
rainy season we frequently suffered from cattle-
stealing. On a night when rain was falling
heavily, the fold would be entered and the best
beast taken out and driven far away before
morning, the heavy rain obliterating all trace of

144 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the route taken. The time of service or prayer-
meeting was chosen for entering the corn-field
and garden, and stripping them of our food
supply. It would have been very easy at any
time to produce a rupture between us and the
natives by a want of forbearance on our part,
and yet there were circumstances at times, in
which it was impossible not to defend our pro-
perty though not by force of arms. On their
part they made war demonstrations on the
slightest occasion. The cattle-herd may have
allowed our cattle to stray into a native's
garden, and he and his friends would come to
the station armed and perform a war-dance
as a preliminary to opening the case. Nothing
was so efi'ectual in overpowering them on such
occasions as quietly to allow them to dance till
they were satisfied, and then calmly say " Good
morning." When the season for beer-feasts came
round we had to live through much that was
exceedingly trying to flesh and blood, and could
only be endured for the Lord's sake. The beer,
which was brewed from a kind of millet, was
considered "ripe" after so many hours' fermen-
tation, and in order to annoy us it was frequently
made so as to mature on Sabbath. Then early
in the morning the guns would be fired or a
horn blown to inaugurate what would be a day's

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 145

debaucli, and the people congregated for the
orgie. As the hours wore on and the drunken
natives began to dance and sing, the sacred day
was filled by unhallow^ed sounds, while towards
evening what had begun as friendly song and
repartee, ended often in fighting and bloodshed.
Our quiet was not only broken by these sounds
from the villages, but sometimes a band of
drunken youths, or men and women, would
come to the service or to our door and assail
us with foul song and epithet, or engage men-
acingly in war-dances.

In July 1885 an attempt was made by Injo-
mane (before mentioned) to frighten us into
resiling from our position on the question of
presents, and the issue of which considerably
strengthened our hands. A party of Tonga had
come up from Bandawe with letters and goods.
When they had gone a few miles on their re-
turn journey, Injomane and a party of his young-
men attacked them. They were robbed of all
their clothing and their weapons, and some of
them wounded. Chisevi, a brother of Injomane,
came to the station and informed us of the
threatened attack, hinting that while he had a
good heart to us himself, he had, for the sake
of his position, to appear at times as our enemy,
and that we would no doubt see how he esteemed

K

146 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

us and reward him for informing us. Before we
had time to act for the protection of our Tonga
carriers, one of them who had escaped without
wound returned to give us information. The
others, wounded and robbed, escaped into the
bush, not daring to come back through the vil-
lages in a nude state. We considered that the
case should be taken to the chief, in order that
we might see of what value were the words of
the chief and councillors in protecting us. Mr
Koyi and I thereupon went to Mombera and
made complaint, pointing out that protection
to us must mean also protection to any in our
service. Mombera, with his natural shrewdness,
asked us why those who had brought us into the
country had now turned against us. We said
that they were harassing us because we would
not satisfy their demands for cloth and beads.
He was very angry and called the Chipatulas
"rats," saying that it was only our presence that
preserved them from the attack of his army. He
desired to send an army over to punish them,
but we proposed that he should send a coun-
cillor to make an investigation and call the
people together to inform them that we must
be protected.

Ng'onomo, his prime minister, being the coun-
cillor for the district in which we lived, was sent

MISSION LIFE AND WORK

•47

to hold a court. All the villagers were called
up, and although Injomane and Chisevi (who had
informed us) denied all knowledge of the aflfair,
after a whole day's talk, Ng'onomo decided that
Injomane had done wrong and that the cloth and
spears should be returned. We were asked if the
punishment was full enough, and we had oppor-
tunity of expressing our regret that the people in
whose interests we had come should not admit us
to their friendship, and permit us to carry on our
work for their good. After warning the people
against annoying us, Ng'onomo declared the
indaha at an end. An ox was killed, and the
judge, prosecutor, and defendants all feasted to-
gether in amity. The Chipatulas had feared
other treatment, as they had sent away all their
herds and goods, so that they had another exhibi-
tion of our forbearance and desire to do them
good.

If we had been asked by carping critics at this
time, " What are the results of your work ? " we
could not have pointed to a single convert, al-
though the Mission had been already three years
in the district. To all appearance it was a fail-
ure. From the chief and the councillors we had
stolid indifference, and direct veto against educat-
ing the children, or moving about to preach the
Gospel ; and from many of our near neighbours

148 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

we were receiving marks of base ingratitude and
opposition. But was no work being done and no
good being accomplished ? Of stated work there
was not much. We were denied access to every
village save two outside the area of Hoho, as the
district in which we lived was called. On the
station we were meeting daily with men and
women, and youths and maidens, who were em-
ployed in housebuilding. To these we had
opportunity of speaking about spiritual things.
There were the boys in the house as servants
who were collected for worship and oral instruc-
tion every day. A few young men outside began
to take an interest in these services and attended.
From them grew a stated service on the Sabbath,
to which by and by others came, and although
open preaching of the Word had been proscribed,
we gradually came out more boldly and our ser-
vice was tolerated, and in turn became an object
of interest to others abroad. Only a few of the
women came, and the men were fully armed.

The service was often very uproarious. The
dogs snarled and fought with each other, and
when this took place the " backers " of the
diflferent dogs whistled and encouraged them.
Often audible remarks followed the reading of
passages or parts of the address. Sometimes a
man would get up and declare that it was all

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 149

lies, and demand cloth as they had heard enough
of the Gospel. Some came out of curiosity ;
others came having the impression that we gave
cloth to all who attended ; and sometimes spies
were sent by the chief's councillors to see and
report what was done. This was known to us
for some time, but we did not think any evil
would come of it, until the rumour got abroad
that we were inciting the slaves to revolt against
their masters. Mr Koyi had the burden of
anxiety for he heard all that was being said, and
was always either the preacher or interpreter, as
I had not then acquired the language. The
rumour arose from the Tumbuka slaves having
begun to attend the meetings, and afterwards
discussing the teaching of the ten commandments
in the villages. Their masters began to be sus-
picious, and for a time we feared that our service
would be stopped. " The common people heard
us gladly," and were realising that in the Gospel
there were hopes unfolded for them which found
a response in their hearts. We were called to
account by the councillors, but were able to
satisfy them as to what was said and done, pro-
testing that we had no desire to interfere in their
tribal relationships or to upset the authority of
the chief.

As young men we were used in exercising an

150 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

influence on the young men very particularly,
and gradually gathered round us a band of half
a dozen, who began to speak in defence of our
work. They even met together for prayer and
singing of hymns, and were in consequence marked
out for persecution. They were called " bricks,"
in derision, as they worked with us and favoured
us. They were often set upon by others, and had
many a hard day, while yet but imperfectly taught
in the Word. But it was the beginning of fruit,
and came to brighten our labours. To show how
the changed behaviour of those lads led them into
trouble, the following instance is given. The child
of one of them was ill. Although the grandfather
was a native doctor, the father called me to at-
tend his boy. He was suff'ering from croup. It
being the custom for the father not to appear in
the presence of his mother-in-law, he could not
enter the hut where she was. After treating the
child I went away, but on my next visit I could
not find my patient. It had been carried out
into a maize field. I saw the poor thing strug-
gling for breath, and soon after it died. The
" smelling-out " doctor was called to discover the

o

cause of death. He decided that the spirits were
angry, and wanted to punish the father for for-
saking the beliefs of the old people and listening
to our preaching. He had also been neglecting

MISSION LIFE AND WORK 151

to offer sacrifices to tlie ancestral spirits. So
strong is their faith in their doctors that all this
was believed, and our young disciple had to suffer
persecution.

While the direct evangelistic work was circum-
scribed, there was practically no limit to the
medical work which I carried on in the district
ruled by Mombera. At first people came in
crowds. Those who were sick expected to be
healed immediately, and those who were not
sick expected medicine to keep them well. Many
cases of a very trivial nature were treated, but
there was a value in the work apart from the
relief given to the individual. For instance, if
a slave were sick and unable to work, no care
was taken of him. Such were sought out, and
often a master had a useful servant restored to
his service. He put a value on this, and was
favourably impressed with this part of our work.
It was easy to get a hearing from such as he on
the other aspects of our work afterwards. A poor
woman, left to die as an evil-doer if she failed in
her " hour of nature's sorrow," when saved, to-
gether with her infant, by treatment of the proper
kind, would thenceforth be well disposed towards
us and our work. A wife represented so many
cattle, and her husband would ap23reciate the
benefit of our work and be our friend. Little

152 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

children, relieved from pain and sickness, under-
stood the practical nature of the work, and would
always respond to our words. In such ways, up
and down the country, the work was quietly and
surely influencing the people, and while there
was yet nothing to tabulate for reports, the
future harvest was being insured.

Many things compelled the people to talk of
us and our work, and it was plain that while
there was no sign of liberty being given to teach
the children and preach throughout the tribe, the
feeling among the people that we were not being
sufficiently trusted was gaining ground. We took
advantage of any opportunity to renew our ap-
plication to be allowed to open schools. Some-
times that led to their discussing the question,
and at other times it led to threats to withdraw
all permission to preach. We began to be more
respected, as those who had received benefit were
bold to declare it, but we did not seem to have
made any impression on the chief and councillors.
They continued to declare that they would never
receive the Word of God, while the common
people said that until the heads of the tribe
did so they could not. The reason why the
head-men would not countenance our work was
no doubt because they knew that the result of
it would be to overthrow their power over the

MISSION LIFE AND WORK

153

slaves, and to crush the war spirit in their chil-
dren ; also, because they were in the hands of the
witch-doctors, whom they trusted to the utmost
as the only channel of communication with the
ancestral spirits. Those witch-doctors were against
us as they saw their craft to be in danger.

One of the greatest effects of the medical mis-
sion work was that, by it, the empiricism of the
native doctors was overthrown, and the common
people, ignorant and superstitious, were rescued
from the bondage of their shrewd but deceitful
incantations. Native doctors fail in diagnosis
more than in power to heal. Yet in the pre-
sence of the majority of diseases they are help-
less, and in that case they fall back on the
professed will of the spirits that the patient is
to die.

Towards the end of this year (1885), having
received encouragement from a sister of the chief
who was head of a village called Chinyera, about
five miles from the station, we built a round hut
there and Mr Williams went to live in it. When
this came to the chiefs ears he sent for us, and
asked if the country had been given over to us
that we had begun to occupy it. We referred
him to his sister who had invited us, and we
heard no more of it although it led to increased
bitterness among the councillors. We had thus

154 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

actually, without formal liberty, opened our first
sub-station and widened the area of our influence.
Mr Williams conducted a small service in his hut,
and Mr Koyi remained with me at Njuyu doing
the same work. But during all those months we
were the subject of continual discussion among
the people. Sometimes a councillor would spend
half a day on the station speaking on things in
general and evidently having some errand which
he was unwilling to reveal. In going away he
would ask, " How long are you going to stay
among us seeing we are refusing your message ? "
What to make of us or what to do with us, was
evidently a problem which they could not solve.
They were no doubt irritated by hearing of the
prosperity of their former slaves, the Tonga,
under the Mission at Bandawe. We were con-
sidered to be standing in the way of their com-
pelling their return to bondage, and over and
over again disquieting news of what they were
saying and plotting reached us. It was a com-
mon occurrence for a section of the army to be
called up for review and to get secret orders.
Not only our own position, but the position of
our brethren at Bandawe gave us anxiety on such
occasions. Sometimes the Chipatulas would
suddenly show us great kindness, and inform
us that Mombera's army was to attack them and

MISSION LIFE AND WORK

55

us. Od several occasions the neighbours set
watch at night and made preparations against
being attacked. Our friends at Bandawe had
anxious times too, on our account. Once the
letter-carriers coming up were informed of the
expected attack at a village on the outskirts of
the tribe, and in fear returned to Bandawe with-
out coming near us, and our friends were left in
doubt as to our safety.

It was in the end of 1885 that the first ex-
pressed evidence was given that the Gospel was
winning its way into any heart. At the close of
the boys' meeting on a Sunday evening, Mr Koyi
had the joy of hearing from Mawalera, who had
been in his employment, that he wanted to pray
to God. After he had poured out his heart in
broken accents others joined in the exercise, ask-
ing that God would teach them to pray, and give
them hearts to love and fear Him.

Notwithstanding this new joy and the strength
it brought us, we were soon in deep anxiety on
account of the persecution which was levelled at
the youths who had begun to confess Christ
among their fellows. In Matabel eland no sooner
did a native confess Christ than the chief ordered
his execution, and at that time we were reading
about the burning of converts at Uganda. We
told our young friends these things and asked

156 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

them to count the cost. They were not borne
up by any unusual emotion, but they expressed
themselves prepared to witness for Christ. The
occasion was seized by Chisevi, one of the Chipa-
tula clan (our neighbours already referred to) as
suitable for our overthrow on account of our re-
fusal to enrich them. He went secretly to Mom-
bera and informed him of what had taken place.
Mombera showed his aversion to the informer
and his great friendship for us, by receiving the
report without a word. Afterwards on a visit to
the station he referred to it, and the conduct of
the boys was defended by Mr Koyi, and beyond
the persecution which the boys met with, no evil
resulted as we feared might have been the case at
the time.

The year had seen our hearts bowed down in
sorrow by the death of our brother Sutherland,
whose life and work are referred to at length in
another chapter. We had now at its close the
joy of seeing the ingathering of the first-fruits of
the work, in which he was for a time associated
with Messrs Koyi, Williams, and myself, before
another cloud was cast over us by the death of
Mr George Rollo, who had just come from Scot-
land to begin work at Bandawe. He arrived on
Mission duty at Njuyu on December 21st, suffer-
ing from fever, which, with one day's inter-

MISSION LIFE AND JVORK 157

mission, continued till the 28tli when he died.
As marking the attitude of the people towards
us, when Mombera came to know of his illness
he requested us to take him away lest he should
die in their country, and when he died we were
accused of bringing him to the station to die,
in order to involve them in trouble which they
ignorantly feared might come to them on account
of the death. They proposed that we should
take the body away and bury it at Bandawe, but
eventually a grave was opened near the station,
and the object-lesson of a Christian burial given
to the natives, who gathered together at a dis-
tance and looked on.

CHAPTER VIII

THE HAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS

MY journal for 1886 opens with this entry, —
''Jan. 3. In bed three days with fever."
Notwithstanding the unwearied assistance ren-
dered by Messrs Koyi and M^Callum during
the strain of nursing Mr Rollo throughout the
week of his fatal illness, I was worn out, and I
had a sharp attack of fever myself, the usual
result of over-anxiety and fatigue. Thus began
the year that was destined to be one of sorrow
and of joy for those at Njuyu, and of the triumph
of the Gospel among the Ngoni.

About this time the station went by the name
of " Ekusiuda-nyeriweni," a term which cannot
be translated in polite language. The name was
given by Mombera, and although it was accepted
as a bad one by the people, he did not mean it
thus. It arose out of the frequent complaints
which people took to him of our supposed evil
powers. We were accused of all the family dis-
asters ; the non -success in battle; the death of

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 159

cattle, and the running away of slaves, or what-
ever evil came among the people. Mombera,
who as may be seen was a believer in us, became
so irritated at their numerous charges that he
said, " The people are surely comfortable now
that they have got a " Ekusinda-nyeriweni."
The rebuke was levelled at them and not at us,
but the name stuck to us for a long time, until
we got a new name from the councillors which
will be mentioned further on.

As we were treated with suspicion it was
doubtful what effect our having brought a horse
into the country would have. Messrs M^Callum
and Kollo had come up with a horse which was
the first that the natives had ever seen. Before
they actually arrived the commotion over this
strange animal which they were riding was very
great ; and wild and absurd stories as to its ap-
pearance and behaviour went round the country.
It was said to have only one eye, which when
turned on one felled him to the ground ; it was
as tall as the highest tree ; its feet crushed
houses and people ; its bounding step enabled it
to jump over mountains and rivers ; it had a tail
which moved continually and smote people to
the earth. Such were the wild impressions
which this horse made on the ignorant people,
who had only heard of it from others as it ap-

i6o AMONG THE WILD NGONI

proached the villages. Although, when it was
seen, the people became intelligently interested
in it, we were in difficulties as to pasturing the
animal. Complaints were lodged that we allowed
it to go near their villages, so that child-bearing-
women could not come out, the belief being that
the strange animal would lead to the birth of
monsters. We were even advised not to allow
it to come near the herds of cattle for the same
reason. But gradually their fears subsided, and
instead of being regarded as an evil thing, the
people came long distances to see the wonderful
animal.

Although, as mentioned in the previous chapter,
Chisevi's informing the chief about the youths
who were coming to us and praying, had not led
to an attack upon them as was at one time
threatened, the persecution they had to suffer
was so great that when they desired to be taught
to read they were afraid to come by day, and so
they came under cover of night. At first the
three sons of Kalengo, a witch-doctor, who was
our nearest neighbour, came. Their names were
Chitezi, Mawalera and Makara. We spent several
hours together every evening, and they made
rapid progress in reading and writing. They
were also instructed more fully in Christian
truth. The devotion of these youths was most

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 16 1

marked, and as we watched their minds opening
under instruction, and their hearts and con-
sciences coming under the deepening influence
of God's Spirit, we felt stronger and more hopeful
in our work which was so liable to be stopped by
the superstitious clamourings of the people. But
Mombera was no doubt cognisant of all that
went on, and it was noticeable that he began to
look upon Chitezi as our man. He being the
only one of the three who was married could be
accorded the place of a man, and so Mombera
and we had him as a common messenger on
nearly all occasions of communications passing
between us. It was a gratification to see the
respect which Mombera paid to Chitezi even
after he had thus cast in his lot with us. Chi-
tezi's father was much respected, and Chitezi
himself had but lately been distinguished in
several fights and had received some special
marks of the chiefs appreciation of his courage
and prowess. Yet his turning to us, while
against the expressed desire of the council, did
not lead to Mombera (who knew all) turning
against him or us at that time. Many other
things were known which betokened that the
mind of the chief as an individual leaned towards
our work, however much he spoke in public to
the contrary. He had a dual nature, — on the

L

1 62 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

one liand he was set to curse the work on behalf
of his advisers, while for himself, he was, con-
sciously or unconsciously, serving God's purposes
and helping it on in many ways. On many oc-
casions we had to thank God for the presence of
even the heathen Mombera on the throne.

When these youths met for prayer it was very
touching to hear them plead for the enlighten-
ment of their father the witch-doctor, and for
their friends, their chief, and head-men. They
had, as youths, understood the worship of the
ancestral spirits, and appreciated the position of
prayer in the new life. It was a powerful
inspiration in this exercise when they appre-
hended God as Father, ruling, guiding, and sus-
taining the world, and the need and opportunity
of coming to Him in calm as well as in storm,
in prosperity as well as in adversity ; because in
the ancestral worship they did not require to
think of the spirits except in case of sickness,
famine or drought. It was very interesting to
watch the development of their minds under the
influence of the truth of Scripture, and how the
mind, accustomed to slavery and the relative
positions of master and slave, chief and vassal,
which the system entailed, naturally assumed
the same forms under the spiritual kingdom.
While they acknowledged God as Father, under

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 163

fuller instruction in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
the idea of Him as " Great owner of power,"
" Owner," " Chief," was what came naturally to
them, and by these terms they usually addressed
Him.

It was an unspeakable relief to us when
we had actual members of the tribe to consult
with on the spiritual phases of our work, who
were able to read the meaning of the many dis-
quieting things which occurred around us in the
behaviour of the people. We felt there was a
bond between us not born of earth or earthly
power, and in the exercise of prayer we could
agree as touching anything we asked of the
Father, and even then we could count six, — a
European, two Kafirs, and three Ngoni, — as
with one heart and mind desiring the coming of
Christ's Kingdom. There have been many joy-
ous seasons in my experience of the work since,
but none have left such an impression on my
mind as those of the time we write of. Our
anxieties were unceasing; our position in the
tribe insecure ; our efforts all but fruitless among
the great mass of heathen ; our bodies frequently
racked by fever and sickness ; we had but occa-
sional communications from home ; but after
dark the three Ngoni youths came to join with
us in prayer for the work. They had staked

1 64 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

their safety and their position in the tribe in
accepting Christ. They had their temptations
and their fears to relate, and we could hold com-
mon converse on the outcome of events, and
encourage one another in our trying circum-
stances. Hallowed, indeed, were those hours in
the stillness of night, and as we knew not what
a day would bring forth, but continued in prayer,
we are now able to look back and see how prayer
was answered, and in that little sanctuary in the
dear old house in Njuyu the faith of that little
company has brought, by the mercy and over-
ruling hand of God, a rich return.

There is one phase of Mission life and work
which is not often written upon, but which ought
to be mentioned. At home men and women are
called to volunteer for the mission field prepared
for sacrifice, and too often the idea of a sacrifice
which must be made is the one most prominent
at such times. It is a false position in which to
put the work. Why not keep before the mind
the advantages to one's spiritual life in the work ^
I am not the only one who has felt that the Gos-
pels and Epistles, as well as the Old Testament
Scriptures, have a fresher interest and newer
meaning to us when we are teaching the simple
minds of the heathen ; and that the exercises of
prayer and faith in the circumstances of the new

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 165

life are more real and refreshing. One learns the
simplicity and reality of trust in God when he
hears a native, who may only have a few ideas or
facts of divine truth, pouring out his heart to
God in earnest request, and waiting with expec-
tancy the answer to his prayer. Does God hear
prayer ? Our three lads had learned as much of
the truth as enabled tliem to believe and ask,
and one of many special objects prayed for, may
be stated as it occurred and confirmed their and
our faith in the presence and power of God, and
His care of the work.

The occasion was when the increasing wealth
and number of his wives compelled the chief to
make choice of an additional royal residence.
He had seven or eight royal kraals, and now he
w^as to found another, Tt must be remembered
that all this time the whole tribe, save the three
youths whom we were instructing, were given to
war and raiding other tribes. It was the custom
in connection with the founding of a new kraal,
to call up the army and make a raid on some
tribe, setting the young warriors belonging to the
village chosen as a royal residence in the fore-
front of the battle, in order to test their valour
and ability to protect their chief in his new kraal.
From what we were told we knew such occasions
to be times of great excitement in the country,

1 66 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and the war following a very bloody one. The
young bloods had to "wash their spears in blood,"
and it was their ambition to have an important
battle to prove their valour. Our boys were
greatly distressed — especially Chitezi, who would
have to take his place in the Hoho regiment under
the Chipatulas who were our oppressors. The
turmoil went on for some days, and we heard
that the army was to be despatched to attack the
Tonga on the Lake shore around Bandawe. On
the day when the royal entrance into the new
village was to be made, we hoped that some
opportunity might be had for Mr Koyi to speak
to Mombera to advise him against sending out
the army, and we prayed that Mombera might be
restrained from ordering war. We heard that
Mombera had been debarred from entering his
village by the armed youths, who demanded of
him an order to go out and " wash their spears
in blood," that the chief had refused and was
sitting outside determined to occupy the village
without giving a pledge to order out the army.
The armed escort that accompanied the chief to
the new residence were in an excited state, and
were threatening to fight the others who were
resisting his entrance. As darkness began to fall
we could see bodies of men rushing hither and
thither among the villages beyond the river, and

THE RAIN (QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 167

we feared that it would end in disaster. We de-
cided that Chitezi should go over to quietly watch
the course of events, he having volunteered to do
so, and that we should continue in prayer for the
prevention of war. He returned about ten o'clock
and reported that after a time of great excitement
the chief was ultimately allowed to enter, and the
warriors dispersed. We ended our day of prayer
by acknowledging in praise the goodness of God.
The event made an impression on the minds
of all, and our faithful three had their faith
strengthened.

If it should seem strange that a band of youths
should so oppose their chief, it must be remem-
bered that war overruled everything else. An
armed party could steal cattle or anything
it wanted with impunity, and I have heard
Ng'onomo, when dancing, calling Mombera a
coward because he did not order the army out.
It was an understood thing, and would be done
in order to give evidence of a man's readiness to
serve his chief at any cost, and it was always
accepted in that sense.

We were never long without some pressing
trouble, and sometimes the anxiety was con-
tinued through many weeks. The anxious
position no doubt frequently induced or accen-
tuated the attacks of fever which all the

i68 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

members suffered from in those days, the
attacks being more frequent and severe than
those of later years.

The question of a famine in consequence of
drought was agitating the minds of all in the
tribe. A few showers fell in the November of
the previous year (1885), and the people had
planted their maize. It sprang up for a fort-
night, and then, as the rains ceased until the
18th of January, the corn was burned up and
the people began to be greatly excited. The
usual period when rain may be expected is
from about the end of November to the end of
March, so that towards the middle of January,
when the early sowing had been fruitless, and
day after day the sun beat down from a cloud-
less sky and rendered cultivation impossible in
the absence of rain, the excitement of the
people, with famine staring them in the face,
is not to be wondered at.

However irrational the native may be in his
beliefs and practices he understands that there
is no effect without a cause. In the worship
of the ancestral spirits when they are supposed
to cause evil by being displeased, the witch-
doctor and the family or community recognise
their responsibility, and possibly misconduct, to-
wards the spirit of the house or the tribe. The

THE RAIN QUESTION JND ITS RESULTS 169

practice of the witch-doctor is a fattening one,
as he not only gets his fee but a good piece of
the meat he recommends them to sacrifice to the
displeased god. When we became "Ekusinda-
nyeriweni " we expected that the witch-doctors,
as well as the people generally, would hold us to
be the cause of the drought. For some weeks
we were left ominously alone by most people,
and especially by those about the chief, but our
faithful three managed to keep us informed of
what was passing in their meetings about the
cause of the drought. We were indeed blamed,
and particularly as I had erected instruments in
the garden to control the weather. These (mete-
orological instruments) I was known to consult
morning and evening and to write in a book
what I was doing. At this time, of course, a
book was in their eyes nothing but an instru-
ment of divination, and as will be seen, they be-
lieved that it told us what was in their minds.
They spoke about "The Book," as the Bible
was so often referred to by us, and they thought
there was only one book.

We were not very anxious for a time. They
were sacrificing cattle to their ancestral spirits —
household and tribal — and although there was a
general clamour about our being the cause of
the drought we were not molested. But as the

170 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

drought continued and their sacrifices were un-
availing, more attention was paid to us and our
actions. Some people would stand at the hedge
looking into the garden, and discuss the probable
action of the meteorological instruments to which
they had seen me attending regularly. On one
occasion old Maumba, a councillor of the chief,
came to talk about the rain not coming and said,
" Why do you not give the rain ? What does
your Book tell you is in our hearts about you
just now ? "

At length a meeting of the doctors was called
to ascertain the cause of the drought. Till then
I hardly expected that the doctors had a good
word to say of us ; but when, in answer to the
question whether we caused the rain to stop,
they made a united statement that we had noth-
ing to do with it, we were greatly surprised and
pleased. The doctors were divided in their
opinion as to the cause of the drought. One
party made the cause out to be the strife be-
tween Mombera and Mtwaro his brother, as
the spirits were highly displeased therewith.
Another party said that the spirits were at war
among themselves, and the rain would come
when they finished. The third party said it was
true that the spirits were displeased, but not on
account of Mombera's quarrel with Mtwaro, but

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 171

because the tribe had given no heed to the mes-
sage which we had brought to them. He in-
stanced what seems to be a fact, that one of their
fathers, Avho died while they were at Tanganyika,
and who had never seen a white man, told them
that in the course of their wanderings they would
meet with white men who would be their friends,
and to whom they must listen and be friendly.
They were thus neglecting the advice given them,
and the spirits were angry. It did not, however,
occur to them that to obey was better than sacri-
fice ; so they renewed their ofierings to appease
the spirits, and after waiting for a time they were
still disappointed. Several talked to us in a
quiet, suspicious way, as if insinuating that we
had better send rain to save ourselves. At
length several councillors and a large number
of men came over to us from the chiefs place.
They came to ask us to pray to our God to send
rain, as their own methods had entirely failed.

The councillor who spoke made an apology why
they had not settled the question of schools. We
asked him whether he had come to speak on that
question or about the drought. He said it was
the drought, so we said he did not need to intro-
duce the subject of schools, as that had no con-
nection with the drought, although we were glad
to see that they still retained their sense that

172 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

they had not treated the question as they ought
to have done. We asked them if they came to
us because they believed that we had the power
of giving or withholding rain, and one of them
replied, " We here to-day do not think so, but
I cannot say that there are none who think so.
We believe it is the spirits." We said, " Why
do you come asking us to pray for rain when
you do not believe in our God?" "Oh," he
said, "just to see which is best." We asked if
they would give up their own beliefs, and permit
us to instruct them in the Word of God if they
found that our God answered our prayers; but
no one replied. We then for more than an hour
preached the Word to them, explaining how their
ignorance made them think God was only to be
sought when our own efforts failed. We pointed
out that they themselves believed that when the
spirits caused any calamity or, as they thought,
withheld rain, they knew there was a reason for
it, and the doctors were called to find out the
reason, and in all cases it was in themselves ;
and so, before they could expect rain, or what
they wanted, they first offered sacrifices to
satisfy the spirits ; that we believed it was for
something in us that God withheld his blessings,
and so it was needful for us to repent ; and that
this feeling of the necessity of repentance and of

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 173

a sacrifice proved that we were all similarly con-
stituted, and that for us God had provided the
sacrifice in the person of His own Son. It was
a splendid opportunity for preaching and we had
close attention.

We sympathised with them, and said we would
make special prayer for rain in our meeting next
day. They wanted us to go over and pray in the
chief's cattle kraal ; but we refused, for the reason
that we wanted the people to come to our service
on the station, and did not wish the Bible to be
over at the chief's on such an occasion, because
they attached a superstitious importance to the
Book. While we were engaged speaking, a war-
party appeared on the road some distance from
the house, and engaged in war-dances. We did
not take any notice of it, although we knew it
was a signal of defiance to us for something ; and,
as we afterwards learned, it was held in readiness
so that if we had received them as they expected
by saying, " You have refused our word for these
years, why do you come now ? " it would be called
up to dance in front of the house, that being the
only thing that the Ngoni can do when they are
nonplussed. The councillors who were with us
were uneasy, very uneasy, when the party came
in sight, and no doubt felt relieved that we did
not run for our fire-arms, like the neighbouring

174 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

villagers, who were listening in the verandah, and
who, on going home, found that their wives and
children had fled up the hills behind the station.
We were never able to discover their real in-
tention in coming with a regiment of armed men.
It was only known to the councillors, and Mom-
bera afterwards said he did not know either ; but
there may have been some idea of doing more
than frightening us by it, because we saw another
regiment making for Chinyera, where Mr Williams
was at the time, and it remained in his vicinity
for some time. Apparently some signal was
made, and it returned to the chief's kraal soon
after the deputation withdrew. Great was the
excitement among the Hoho people around the
station, and notwithstanding their conduct to-
wards us, they now declared that our cause was
theirs, and that as they had brought us into
the country they would have to die with us,
as that had been determined, they said, by the
councillors, should we not be able to give rain.
That night, as during the evening, armed men
had been gathering at the chief's kraal, which
was only a mile distant across the valley and in
view of the station, so neither we nor the natives
near us retired to rest. It was affirmed by all
that we were to be attacked, and the natives set
watchmen on all the ant-hills between us and the

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 175

river. We did not so much fear an organised
attack, as that some of the young bloods, excited
by the war-dancing, might break out and fire the
station, in the hope of really inducing war, and
so "we made our prayer unto our God, and set a
watch against them."

A touching word was spoken by old Kalengo,
the father of our three adherents, who sat till far
into the night with us at our house. He was
a slave of the Ngoni from the Senga country,
and had known the position of a slave in
the tribe, till he became a witch-doctor. He
feared the wild warriors who were collecting
at the chief's place, and said, " Well, I'll go
home to my own village now. If we hear the
sound of war we will come to your house to die
with you. We were nothing at all to anyone till
you came among us ; but at your house all are on
the same level — we are not slaves."

There was a large congregation in the church
the next day, councillors and others having come
from headquarters. Mr Koyi conducted the ser-
vice, and expounded the ten commandments, as
we do at every church-service. I addressed the
people, telling them of droughts in South Africa,
and such as we have at home sometimes, and the
services held by Christians every year to thank
God for the harvest. I read Isa. lix. 1-8, and

176 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

connected that passage and Isa. Ixviii. 6 with
Malachi iii. 10, from which I spoke, Mr Koyi
acting as interpreter. I pointed out what God
desired in place of sacrifices, and as they would
never think of praying to the spirits without first
sacrificing, so we had to learn from God's Word
how we are to prepare our hearts to seek Him.
A councillor who had killed a man just before
then was present, and as I read, "Your hands
are defiled with blood," he cried out, " He is
speaking out of his own head ; that is not in
the Book." It showed, I think, that his con-
science was not dead. So clearly did the Bible
describe their thoughts and feelings that they
believed that we knew from it all their thoughts.
None of the warriors had come to the service,
and as they continued dancing at the royal kraal,
we determined to watch again at night. About
four in the morning slight rain began to fall, and
we retired to rest. Next day we had agreed to
hold another service to pray for rain, and at noon
the people collected, some of the chief's council-
lors being again present. At two o'clock, before
the meeting had dispersed, heavy rain fell. This
was the 18 th of January, and seven weeks after
the rain in November. The incident made a
profound impression upon the minds of the
natives, and no doubt indirectly, if not directly,

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 177

advanced our work. The rain dispersed the
assembled warriors, and the people again be-
came engaged in planting operations, and quiet
ensued for a time.

A few weeks after, on a Sunday, two coun-
cillors came to us with a sheep as a thank-offering
for the rain. We refused the gift as we dis-
claimed having regulated the rain, and because,
as we pointed out, they had sacrificed a score or
more cattle to the spirits and received no rain
from them, but confessed themselves beaten,
while God, who had alone sent rain in answer to
prayer, was to be paid by the gift of a sheep.
They heard some plain-speaking and preaching
and appeared glad when we allowed them to go,
taking the sheep with them. The common
people, who now began to be bolder in their
attendance at the services, felt that we were
being slighted too much by the councillors, and
such an incident as the offering of the sheep was
talked of far and near. It aided greatly in the
furtherance of our interests, as all believed that
by our prayers we could give or withhold rain,
and considered that we should have accorded to
us equal rights with the witch-doctors whose
incantations had so signally failed.

The Sabbath meetings now became more firmly
established, as the presence of the amaduna at

M

!78 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the meetings held to pray for rain was taken by
the common people as a recognition of them, and
they were not afraid to come. The effect of the
rain-question was to increase the interest of the
people in the Book, and we were able greatly to
extend our area of evangelistic work, and wher-
ever we found the head of a village willing for a
service to be held we visited his village regularly
and preached. The attitude of the people towards
us was more respectful and hearty, so we went
on, rejoicing greatly. At the end of February
there was a cessation of rain for about a week.
Mombera had hanged a man for stealing cattle,
and a deputation came to ask if we were offended
■at this and had stopped the rain. We again had
the ear of the amaduna and tried to teach them
the Word of God, and upbraided them for having
left off attending the services.

That rainy season was a remarkable one, and
the natives still remember and speak of it. Rain
fell on one day in November, nine days in
January, eleven in February, twenty in March,
and four in April, i.e. on forty-five days, and
only reached the exceptionally small amount of
nineteen inches, yet the best harvest I have seen
in Ngoniland followed. The rain fell in gentle
showers and suited the character of the country.
The natives say that they never had such a con-

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 179

venient rainy season, as it rained at night and
did not prevent their work in the gardens during
the day. The natives usually suffered from want
of corn in the interval between sowing and reap-
ing, as insufficient stores were made to carry
them on to the harvest, and at the time of which
we write, as the harvest was late there was great
hunger. We had an opportunity of showing the
Hoho people, who had been very troublesome and
unkind to us, that we could warmly interest our-
selves in their life and try to help them in time
of need. We distributed a considerable quantity
of beads among them, to enable them to trade
with those who might have food for sale. I am
afraid our kindness was not duly appreciated by
all. The heads of the villages were called to the
house, and beginning with the oldest we gave out
the beads. The Chipatulas were consequently
placed among the last and were very indignant
and rude to us, as they considered we had
slighted them in giving to others — and to slaves
— before giving to them. The encouragement
received from these men a little later on was not
very marked. After their beads were used up,
and the hunger still continuing, we off'ered to
give them letters to our friends at Bandawe for
which they would get loads of flour if they would
send down their villagers, but we were told that

i8o AMONG THE WILD NGONI

we should get the Tonga who usually carry our
goods to bring it up, and they would receive it.
I do not quote these incidents as illustrative of
all the natives, but for many a day it seemed
that the people were unable to appreciate a kind
act, and took it as an exhibition of our simplicity
on which they desired to impose further.

In June we had to undergo one of our greatest
trials when William Koyi was removed by death.
Not till then had 1 fully felt the responsibilities
of the work, or so great a sense of loneliness and
helplessness among the Ngoni. In a brief bio-
graphy of our friend I have tried to tell something
of our loss by his death, and how I loved him, so
that it is unnecessary to say more in this place.

While we were mourning the death of our
comrade, Mr Williams and I were rejoicing that
the restrictions on our work were being removed,
and our position receiving more general recogni-
tion. It was while Mr Koyi was on his death-
bed that there was a meeting of the chief, the
sub-chiefs (his brothers), and their head-men.
For some years there had been a feud between
Mombera and his brother Mtwaro at Ekwen-
deni, and the permission we had asked to visit
the latter had always been refused. As he was
heir-apparent it seemed to us advisable to make
his acquaintance, and we regretted Mombera's

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS i8i

refusal. In the middle of 1886 the action of
Mombera in having consulted us in regard to
the rain, and seemingly having come under our
power, stirred up the hatred of the other sections
of the tribe. A desperate attempt was made by
the disaffected in the council to overthrow the
chieftainship of Mombera and openly follow their
own ways. Again our prayers were heard, and
after the turmoil of several days, the matter
ended by Mombera and Mtwaro becoming re-
conciled, notwithstanding the opposition of some
who desired the enmity to exist, in order to aid
their effort to break up the tribe into sections.
The four brothers pledged their friendship, and
the kingdom was maintained intact. That and
other matters were settled in open council, but
the question of our presence and work was taken
up in private by the chief, his brothers, and the
councillors. This was no doubt owing to the
presence of large armed escorts which had come
with the sub-chiefs ; in them the war instinct
was active, and they were eager for the excite-
ment of open discussion.

What was said and done in private we do not
know, but we were informed next day by a depu-
tation representing each party in the council, that
we must understand that we were free to preach
the Gospel, and teach the children in every part

i82 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of the country. Tliey expressed the hope that,
instead of confining our work to the people
around one station, we would open stations in
each of the principal divisions of the tribe. We
learned afterwards that Mombera was accused of
receiving goods from us, and that the principal
thought in their minds was, that by having a
resident white man at each sub-chiefs village
they would also share in the spoil. There was
full proof of this eighteen months afterwards, as
will be seen further on ; but it was evident also
that the growth of popular feeling in our favour
was proving an uncomfortable fact in the mind
of the chiefs, and they were compelled to open
the country to us. I wrote home at the time as
follows : — " I can point to no particular incident
closely connected with the happy change in the
feelings of the people ; but nothing more satis-
factory can be said than that the cumulative
force of the Christian life and teaching of those
resident here has slowly but surely produced its
natural effects on their minds. Various incidents,
such as the rain question last January, could be
cited as distinct stages of advance, but no part of
our work has been without its power ; and I be-
lieve that the patient waiting of the past years
will be amply justified and rewarded in the
results of the future.

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 183

" They do not desire to engage in war, and
the only advocate for war at the council meeting
was shouted down by the assembled councillors.
Since Mr Koyi's death a deputation of councillors
came from the chief, on account of a rumour hav-
ing been spread that since the country here seems
to kill all our fellow-workers we would now leave.
The chief sent them to say that we must not
leave, but consider our position the same as if
their special friend Mr Koyi had lived. To us a
few days before Mombera said, ' I understand
your work to be such that if deaths do occur it
will still go on. God gave us life, and He can
take us away when He pleases, and we cannot
say aught.' We assured him that he had spoken
rightly, and told him that though we should die
there would be others who would carry on the
work. Though teaching was proscribed, we have
three youths reading the New Testament, and
others coming on rapidly. Most of these are
also earnestly striving to know God and walk
in His ways, and from among these we will find
helpers when we formally open school.

" Our position and prospects are cheering. Mr
Williams has agreed to extend his engagement
for two years meantime ; but as he must now
reside here the station at Chinyera occupied by
him will be closed, except on Sundays, when one

1 84 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of US will walk over and conduct services at one
or more villages. A good climate and extensive
opportunities for service can be offered here, and
I trust the Committee will be able speedily to fill
the place of Mr Koyi. We should with another
helper be able now to itinerate, which is a method
of work which would be greatly appreciated here
by the people. To fully equip the station, an
ordained missionar}^ should be sent, for we have
hopes that a native church will be very soon
established here."

Mtwaro had also a personal interest in becom-
ing reconciled to Mombera and in professing an
interest in us. Some time before he had sent a
messenger to me requesting my presence at his
kraal in order to treat an affection in his left
knee-joint. I sent back the reply that I would
gladly come to him if he would first obtain Mom-
bera's consent, as I had been refused permission
to visit him. He (Mtwaro) had heard of the
medical work and desired the benefit of it in
his own case. When we were permitted, as I
have related, to visit Mtwaro I went to him, but
medical treatment was unsatisfactory on account
of the superstition of his head-men, who would
not allow me to touch or examine the knee-joint.
My visit enabled me to know the expectations of
the people, and their begging for cloth was most

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 185

irritating and trying, but was satisfactory in so
far that the ice was broken and another door
opened for our work. I was, however, not
allowed into the village, but had to pitch my
tent outside in the bush. In the middle of the
night I found myself alone, with the hyenas sniff-
ing round the tent at my elbow, as my men had
crept away to the warmth of the huts. During
the day the people crowded round the tent, and
more than one hand could be seen pushed under
the canvas at one time to pull out whatever they
could grasp. With the exception of Mr John W.
Moir who had visited him in 1879, no white man
had met Mtwaro before at his kraal.

We were encouraged when harvest came round
by finding among the people, in some of the
villages where we conducted services, a desire to
have a special meeting to thank God for the crop
about to be reaped. They said God had given
them the harvest, and they should thank Him
for it before they began to reap. Thus for the
first time in Ngoniland, on the people's initiative,
a heathen custom, — the feast of first-fruits, — was
replaced by a service of praise to Almighty God.
It was the more encourag^ing as it came from
the villagers among whom the Word had been
longest preached, and was in marked contrast
to the ignorant talk of those who were not in-

1 86 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

structed. A large and hearty service was held,
and then they set about gathering in their crops.

In August I left for Mandala and returned
with my wife in the beginning of October. The
reception accorded us on our arrival was very
warm, and an explanation was given of the
scanty respect shown on some former occasions.
The chief said, " Yesterday you were a boy ; to-
day you are a man and can speak." The Ngoni
accorded the privileges of manhood, such as
transacting of business, to married men, and as
long as I was unmarried it was contrary to their
habit to have to treat with unmarried persons
whom they considered to be boys. It is un-
doubtedly the case that the married state has
been more helpful to the progress of the work
than the unmarried had been.

We were not long in starting a school when
we obtained permission, and from the first we
had two natives, who were able to read, to help
us in the work. They were two of those who
had been taught in the evenings and they proved
a great help. After the first fortnight, the whole
of the sixty children attending came and de-
manded their pay for learning the Book. When
they found they were not to be paid, they refused
to come, and again the Chipatulas showed their
hand in preventing them from coming because

THE RAIN QUESTION AND ITS RESULTS 187

we also refused to pay them for allowing the
children to come. The two native teachers, how-
ever, from among those in their village were
able to collect twenty- two scholars, and so again
the school went on, that being the number in
attendance for nearly a year.

When the school was fairly started, Mombera
sent the ominous warning, " You must not culti-
vate your garden merely in one place," meaning
that the jealousy of the others would be aroused
if we did not immediately begin schools in their
districts. We explained that on account of dis-
tance that could not be accomplished until we
were reinforced from home, and went quietly on
with our work at Njuyu, making efforts to extend
our influence in the new districts. Our efforts
in the latter direction revealed how much the
questions of war and cloth were mixed up with
their talk about schools and preaching, and dis-
counted their professed acceptance of our work.
It was increasingly evident that we could not
rely on political changes, or edicts of councils to
establish the work among them, and we tlierefore
bore with their ignorant conclusions and temporal
expectations, and strove to have the spiritual
power in the work which would establish and
extend it. As we had been long in getting a
commencement made in school work, we deter-

1 88 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

mined that the schools should be evangelistic
agencies, and the workers in them only those
whose lives were consistent with their profession.
The question arose regarding one who was a
polygamist, although in other respects consistent,
being allowed to teach, and his offer of service
was declined until he should dissolve his poly-
gamous connections. In after years the wisdom
of this step was revealed.

The year 1886 closed with one school in pro-
gress and evangelistic work being carried on at
six or seven centres. A new era had begun in
Ngoniland.

CHAPTER IX

IN MEMORIAM : WILLIAM KOYI

FOR the following particulars of the early life
of William Koyi I am indebted to Love-
dale : Past and Present, and the account of a
humble yet worthy convert from African heath-
enism will be read with interest, " AVilliam
Koyi was born of heathen parents at Thomas
River in the year 1846. His mother died a
Christian. He left his home during the cattle-
killing mania in 1857, and went to seek employ-
ment among the Dutch farmers in the Colony,
earning half-a-crown a week as a waggon-leader.
About this time his father died, and five years
later his mother and two sisters. He left his
Dutch employer and worked for five years at one
of the wool- washing establishments at Uitenhage,
and was promoted to be overseer. From thence
he went to work in the stores of Messrs A. C.
Stewart & Co., Port Elizabeth, where he remained
for about the same number of years. He had
never attended school, but now felt the need of

I90 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

education, and therefore set about learning to
read Kafir. He had about this time, 1869, been
converted, and been admitted a member of the
Wesley an Church at Port Elizabeth.

"He came to Lovedale in 1871, and his case
is one of the most remarkable results of Lovedale
wotk. A stray leaf of ' Isigidi mi Sama-Xosa,'
which he picked up and read during his dinner
hour at Port Elizabeth, was the first cause of his
attention being directed to the place. On enquiry
he found it was 150 miles distant, and he then
resolved to walk to it and seek admission. He
had friends at Tshoxa, Eev. Mr Liefeldt's station,
and it was from that missionary he brought a
note of recommendation. He attended the first,
second, and third year's classes ; and during his
stay at Lovedale he was active, willing and
trustworthy, caring for duty and not for popu-
larity among his fellows.

" He came to regard Lovedale as his home, and
to be regarded as a humble but valuable worker
who could always be depended on and needed no
pushing to his work or pressure to keep at it and
do his best, and make himself generally useful.
After a time he was appointed assistant-overseer
of the work-companies of the native boarders.

" In 1876 he offered, along with thirteen others,
to go to Livingstonia as a native Evangelist ; only

IN MEMO RUM: WILLIAM KOTI 191

four iDcluding himself were chosen. He has
steadily continued these nine years, at the work
at Lake Nyasa, and shown considerable energy
and natural intelligence, and has thus proved to
be of great service to the Free Church Mission in
Central Africa.

" He returned to Lovedale for a time to recruit
his health, and in 1882 married the second daughter
of the late Rev. A. Van Rooyen of Blinkwater,
Fort Beaufort : she also a little later proceeded
to Lake Nyasa, and is now engaged there in the
work of the Mission."

The foregoing account was in type in 1886, in
which year William died on the 4th June ; and
soon after, his stricken widow, herself in bad
health, returned to the Colony to her own
friends.

William served the cause at Cape Maclear in
its early stage, afterwards removing with the
others to Bandawe. In 1877 he accompanied
Dr Stewart on his exploratory journey along the
west side of Lake Nyasa. In 1878 he accom-
panied Dr Laws and Mr James Stewart on their
journey of further exploration of the west side of
the Lake, and on their meeting with Ngoni on the
hills to the north of Bandawe he was invaluable
to the party, being able to speak their language
so as to be understood. This was the Mission's

192 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

first contact with the Ngoni, and William was
the first to speak the name of God to them. In
1879 he accompanied Mr John Moir in his visit
to the Ngoni and to the Basenga on the Loangwa,
several days' journey west of Ngoni land. Later
on in that year he accompanied Mr Stewart on
his journey from Ngoniland northward to Karonga,
and westward to Lake Tanganyika. If we re-
member that Stanley and other African travel-
lers have noted how African travel proves a man's
character more than any other mode of life — and
they refer to Europeans — and think of those long
and arduous journeys of William Koyi, during
which his character stood the test, no more need
be said as to the genuineness of it. Of him, Dr
Laws, under whom he laboured for several years,
wrote these words : " William has been a true-
hearted and earnest worker in our Mission ; and
in many a difficult time in dealing with the tribes
among whom Mr Stewart, William and myself,
were travelling, his advice and help proved most
useful. In 1876 when Dr Stewart of Lovedale
was coming up to join us and be at a native
meeting, he called for volunteers to go with him
to Nyasa. A number stood up, and last of all
William got to his feet, saying that though he
had not the education of the others, he had the
desire to engage in the Master's service, though

IN MEMO RI AM: WILLIAM KOYI 193

he could only go as a ' hewer of wood and a
drawer of water.' Since then he wrote of havinor
half a talent, but being anxious to use it for
Christ. This spirit of humility, so alien to the
tribe to which he belonged, has been honoured of
God, and doubtless many will yet arise to call
him blessed, having first heard from his lips the
Word of Life."

It will illustrate the character of William Koyi
if I give a few incidents connected with these.
On one occasion, not long after the Mission had
settled at Bandawe, report of a large Ngoni war-
party, on its way to attack the people around the
station, was brought from a village some miles
distant. On such occasions the terror-stricken
natives, women and children, rushed to the
vicinity of the station in hope of protection by
the Europeans. Thousands of helpless women
and children crouched among the bushes around
the station, or crawled into holes among the
rocks on the neighbouring hill, or lay on the
beach ready to take to the water as a last
chance of life. On one occasion, not only were
the natives alarmed, but so threatening were
the circumstances that the missionaries hastily
put together a few things and launched the
boat ready for escape to the rocky island some
hundreds of yards off. As Dr Laws was on

N

194

AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the beach superintending operations, he was
attracted by a little boy with book and slate
in hand near to him. As nothing apparently
could be done to save the natives, or the
station, Dr Laws said to the boy, "Eun away
and save yourself," to which the little fellow,
clinging to his only possessions worth saving,
replied, ** Where shall I run to, white man?"
When the report above referred to reached the
station, a consultation was held, and Mr Koyi
volunteered to go out and meet the war-party,
and endeavour to turn it back from its purpose.
He walked on for some hours, and at last met
the party at a little stream, where it had made
a temporary camp to await a favourable oppor-
tunity to attack the village of Matete, some two
hours west of Bandawe station. It turned out
to be a party belonging to the Chipatula family,
before referred to as having been the first to re-
ceive kindly the Mission party in 1879. They
were, it was stated, not only intending to attack
the natives, but also the Mission station, in order
to secure the wealth of cloth, beads, and other
goods they imagined were in store there. When
Mr Koyi met the party, and before he could open
his mouth, the young warriors began to engage
in war-dancing. On such occasions the slightest
indiscretion in speech or movement, which might

Ngonilani) Staff at Njuyu.

HoRA Mountain — Scene of Tumkuka Massacre.

IN ME MO RUM : WILLIAM KOTI 195

be interpreted as defiance, would have led to an
immediate attack. There, with only a few friendly
boys, William beheld the awe-inspiring war-dance
of the Ngoni. They danced in companies and
they danced singly, each warrior clad in hideous-
looking garb which, with their large war-shields,
almost hid their human form, and made them
more like war-demons than men as they leaped
and brandished their broad - bladed stabbing
spears which they fight with. Mr Koyi stood
for a time watching them, and utterly unable to
decide what he should do, or how to efi'ect the
purpose for which he had come out. With secret
prayer to God for guidance and success, he sat
down on the bank of the stream. Still at a loss to
know what to do, he took off" one of his boots and
stockings and began to wash his feet. That done,
he, as leisurely and still puzzled, put on his boot
again ; but still the dancin^ went on, and there
was no opportunity to speak even had he known
what to say. He then proceeded to wash his
other foot, and the warriors sat down. He found
the opportunity for speech, and with his native
instinct remarked, in an ofi'-hand manner, " Now
you are sensible people to rest yourselves on this
hot day." This produced a burst of laughter from
the warriors. The spell was broken ; the war-
like intentions of the party were frustrated, and

196 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

then free and open speech was found. The result
was, war was averted and a section of the party
was conducted to the Mission station, when it
was arranged that Mr Koyi and Albert Nama-
lambe, who was at that time at Bandawe, should
go back with the party and see Mombera, with a
view to a permanent residence among the Ngoni.
Thus, in the providence of God, the party that
left home bent on war and plunder, returned
home as guides and escort of the messengers of
the Gospel of peace ; and that incident, which well
illustrates the valuable work of our departed col-
league, was the prelude to the commencement
of work among the Ngoni, the success of which
has been phenomenal, as we shall presently see.
Mombera once said to me, "My army, when
away from home, are like mad dogs ; they cannot
be kept in, but bite small and great the same."
And only those who passed through the fire of
the pioneering days at Bandawe and in Ngoni-
land can measure the service done that day, not
only to the thousands around Bandawe, but to-
wards the success of the Livingstonia Mission.
Years after, on encamping at that village near
which the Ngoni army was met, the chief related
the story to me, and sent with me for Mr Koyi
a bunch of bananas to show that he had not
forgotten what he had done for them.

IN MEMORIAM: WILLIAM KOYI 197

When Mr Koyi accompanied the warriors back
to Ngoniland, he and Albert were introduced to
Mombera, and resided in a hut in his village.
The Ngoni took some time ere a welcome was
given ; there was one party favourable to
and another against th^r being allowed to stay.
They were exposed to many insults and threats,
and for a time their position was most critical.
They could not both go to sleep together at
night, but took turns in watching on account
of the threatening attitude of the people. In all
these times Mr Koyi's knowledge of the Kafir
language was invaluable ; and Mombera, despite
his rough manners and despotic behaviour, was
extremely fatherly and fond of children, and
formed a remarkable attachment to Albert, who
had a very attractive appearance and manner.

Mr Koyi was known by the native name of
Umtusani, and from love to him Mombera
named one of his sons thus, just as afterwards
he named one after Dr Laws as Roharti.
Mombera was very kind to Koyi, and although
he only made sport of what was told him of
the Gospel, he always showed him great respect,
and became the butt of liis head-meu on account
of his attachment to him. On the occasion of the
last great tribal ceremony of putting crowns on
the heads of those who were henceforth to take

198 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

their place as men in the tribe, there was a
gathering of several thousands of armed men
from the different sections of the tribe at the
royal kraal. The crowning ceremony I else-
where notice, but here I mention as showing
how prominent and open was the hostility to
the representatives of the Mission for many a
day, a clamour got up that Koyi should be
killed. He was present in the cattle-fold, as it
was always found advisable to go about without
giving evidence of fear, as one of the best methods
of disarming their hostility. One of the most
famous of the Ngoni generals, named Nawambi,
led off a great war-dance which Koyi described
as making his hair rise up. This valiant's war-
cry was " Beka pansi" (submit). His move-
ments were terrific to witness, as I once beheld
them myself We were wont to call him Bel-
shazzar, for in his war-dance he " lifted up
himself against the Lord of Heaven."

With spear in hand he began by walking with
raised proud look round in front of his warriors.
Then kicking the dust of the ground over those
around, and pointing his spear in seeming in-
dignation, said " submit." The assembled thou-
sands of warriors, beating their shields with their
warclubs, cried " submit." Then he named the
surrounding tribes, the hills and mountains,

IN MEMO RUM : WILLIAM KOYI 199

the sun, moon and stars, his seeming fury
waxing stronger and the clouds of dust flying,
while at each call the warriors beat their shields
and roared "submit." The elements of nature,
rain, thunder, lightning, were all called on to
submit ; and amid the increasing din of shield-
beating and roaring of the warriors, the climax
of his dance and his daring blasphemy was
reached when, pointing to the sky, he cried,
as the foam flew from his mouth, " Wena
spezulu ! Beka pansi 1 " no doubt meaning
Umkurumqango, the God they spoke of as
dwelling above. The tumult was as if all
assembled had turned into demons, and no
wonder great fear fell on Mr Koyi. Mombera
saw his discomfiture, and rising up, went and
took him by the hand, and led him to his own
place and sat down beside him. It was probably
what saved Koyi's life on that occasion, for once
a cry of blood goes out in a company of warriors,
fired by such dancing as that of Nawambi, they
indeed become as mad dogs or worse. Such
scenes have for ever passed away, but in those
days they always ended in bloodshed.

William was in perils oft. On the occasion of
a visit of Dr and Mrs Laws to Ngoniland, Mrs
Laws in a kindly manner put her hand on the
head of one of Mombera's children with the

200 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

remark, ** Such a fine child." After they had
gone the child sickened and died. The cry got
abroad that he had been bewitched when the
white lady put her hand on his head and re-
marked on his appearance — a thing the people
refrain from doing, reminding one of the super-
stition at home connected with " for-speaking "
anyone, especially a child. The matter was
threatening enough at the time, and it reveals
something of Mombera's character when he
secretly informed Koyi, and said that he him-
self did not agree with those who said the
child had been bewitched. The matter was
of great importance, and the council summoned
the divining men who fortunately blamed some
evil spirit and not Mrs Laws. The council was
not satisfied, and more than likely the party op-
posed to the Mission conceived the idea of seizing
on this as a pretext for driving Koyi out of the
country, if not of killing him. Secretly Mombera
informed him of all that was going on. The coun-
cil insisted on having recourse to the Tonga Tnuave
ordeal, and so fowls representing the Mission party
had the poison administered to them. They all
vomited, which had to be taken as evidence of
the innocence of the accused. But so deter-
mined apparently were the council to obtain a
conviction, that they suddenly discovered that

IN MEMORIAM : WILLIAM KOYI 201

the usual test as to whether the doctor presid-
ing was giving true muave or not had not been
carried out. Another fowl was therefore taken
and received the poison and died. This shows
how insecure for a long time was the position of
William Koyi and the others.

These were not the only occasions on which
our colleague was placed in trying circumstances
which required great wisdom, manliness and de-
votion to duty, but all through there was no
wavering or weakness shown. He understood
his position and the trust which was placed in
him, and with characteristic humility and absence
of self-seeking, he went through it all, counting it
an honour to be a messenger of the Cross to the
Ngoni. A European member of the Mission once
said to me, "It requires great grace to be humble,
when one is called Mfumu (chief) by the people
on every hand." If a European with his educa-
tion and attainments found himself tempted to
be lifted up by the merely respectful greeting
of the natives, how much more so might Mr
Koyi be expected to feel that temptation, in
the position assigned to him in Ngoniland and
the respect and affection of chief and people
which he gained for himself! Those who have
had to deal with natives understand how many
a native, otherwise good and trustworthy, loses

202 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

himself entirely when intrusted with a little
authority. But Koyi never forgot " the hole
of the pit whence he was dug." The charac-
ter for steadiness, humility, and devotion to
duty, which Dr Stewart gave him, was fully
borne out to the very end. In those early days
Mr Koyi had to bear the chief burden of those
frequent outbursts of Ngoni pride and impa-
tience. If he was not there alone and having
to meet them by himself, he was, till near his
death, required as interpreter and chief speaker.
I became aware on several occasions that he
hid from others and from me much of the anger,
hard words and wicked intentions of the Ngoni.
He was, as a native, able to discount what they
said, but the kindly nature of the man was shown
in his rather suffering obloquy himself than that
his white friends should be distressed. This was
shown on another occasion. During a time of
trouble, when we were being accused of inciting
the Tumbuka to revolt, there was great distrust
of us manifested. It was a Sabbath morning,
and earlier than usual some people were gathered
for the service. Some head-men and others fully
armed came over from the chief's villages, as
they said, to pray to God. This was very un-
usual, and as we knew it was reported that the
attendance of the Tumbuka, who were coming

IN MEMORIAM: WILLIAM KOTI 203

on Sabbath to our service in large numbers,
was exciting the jealousy of the Ngoni, the
presence of armed men led Mr Koyi to appre-
hend trouble that day. To add to his view of
the situation, from the hollow below the station,
between it and the chief's residence, we had all
morning seen smoke arising from a number of
fires. Mr Koyi asked the armed men who came
from that direction what it was, and they said
some people were roasting cassava there. After
observing Mr Koyi's restlessness and troubled
face, I asked what was causing it. He then told
me that he feared trouble at the service, and pro-
posed that I should remain in the house and not
go to the service that day. I said that could not
be, and we went to the service together, and
Mr Koyi preached. Everything passed quietly
except that in the middle of the address a lead-
ing man got up from his place and gathering
up his spears said, " We have heard enough of
that. Give us cloth. That is what we want,"
and walked out alone. The others seemed
ashamed at his conduct. At the close of the
service William came into my room, and with
a half-ashamed look on his face said, "Did I
not give my knee a great knock to-day ? " This
was his parabolic way of saying that he had been
frightened at his own creation. He explained it

204 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

by relating how a Kafir, tired while on a journey,
had lain down to rest and fallen asleep with one
of his knees flexed. On half awaking he saw the
knee as if another were over him ready to slay
him. Reaching out for his knobkerrie he dealt
a blow on the supposed murderer, only to find
it was himself he had hurt. This, I think, was
the only occasion on which Mr Koyi showed that
his fears were near unmanning him, and to Afri-
cans the matter is plain when I say he had been
suffering for some time from feverish attacks.
It appeared, however, as we afterwards learned,
that the head-men had indeed come to hear what
was said at our services.

Although little has been said of it above,
Mr Koyi was a devoted evangelist, and so far
as liberty to carry on such work was given, he
was eager to embrace every opportunity of tell-
ing of the love of Christ. He preached by his
life, and to a great extent, and with an eifect
we shall never know, his personal talks with
the people were powerful means of keeping our
real work before them. He was a diligent
student of the Word of God, and with much
of the warmth of Christian feeling, he was a
happy Christian. He had persevered so as to
acquire a fair use of the English tongue and
literature. A common Kafir — a Mission Kafir —

IN MEMO RI AM: WILLIAM KOTI 205

to be sneered at by men not possessing a titbe
of his manliness or good character, he was one
with whom it was a privilege to associate. I
acknowledge with pleasure, I received un-
measured help from him ; to his achievements
in those early days the after-success of the
work was in a large measure due. He died
before he saw the fruit of his labours among
the Ngoni. He lived in the assurance that
the day would come soon when the work would
be allowed to go on unhindered by the council,
and he had a large idea of the importance of
gaining the Ngoni, so that in his letters to
Lovedale he showed himself as he was on that
subject.

He could take a comprehensive view of the
aims and work of the Mission — looking be-
yond the immediate future to a degree which
was most remarkable for a native, and which
exceeded that of some of his white brethren.
He strongly urged upon his fellow-countrymen
in the colony the importance and character of
the work, and the call to them to give them-
selves to it. Writing home in 1883 he says, "It
will be a great day when the native Christians
of South Africa will willingly undertake the
work here, and give up their lives to come and
teach their countrymen at Lake Nyasa, I wish

2o6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

I had a better education ; I would give myself
wholly to my countrymen here. Here is work
for Christ standing still. You (native Christians)
have received much, and have also received
education. I do not say you do not work with
that education where you are. But can you
not even spare two to come and teach these
people who are dying in darkness ? What am
I to think, and what encouragement will my
soul receive if no attempts are made by you to
second my poor efforts ? My great wish is that
there was a white and also a native missionary
here, and then the work would progress. I think
there should be moic coming to help in this
great work." That "great wish" was the con-
viction of Dr Laws also, and my being sent
out in 1884 was the response to it by friends
in Scotland.

And his death ? How died the faithful soldier
of the Cross? As he had lived, strong in faith
and in the assurance of acceptance with God
through the merits of Jesus Christ. The sickness
of which he died ran a rapid course. Having to
go to Bandawe, I left him convalescent from an
attack of malarial fever. I had been away only
a few days when his condition became serious,
and he expressed a desire to have me with him,
so I hastened back to find to my dismay that a

IN MEMORIAM: WILLIAM KOTI 207

dangerous affection of the heart had supervened.
He rallied for a time, and though still confined to
bed, he was full of hope that he was to be raised
up again for his work. One day towards the end
a large deputation came from the chief. As they
were seen ascending to the station we were anxious
as to what its object might be, having only too
good reason from past experience to be anxious.
Great was Mr Koyi's regret that he could not take
his wonted place when the deputation arrived.
It was the happiest day of my life — they had
come to say that we had now full permission to
teach the children and to go about the country.
No sooner had the deputation withdrawn than I
hastened to the sick chamber to give the good
news. As I entered, William, who was sitting
propped up in bed on account of his laboured
breathing, said eagerly, " What is it ? Can you
believe it ? " I said, " We have now full liberty
to carry on all our work, and to open schools."
Clasping his hands and taking up the words of
the aged Simeon as he beheld the Saviour, with a
never-to-be-forgotten gleam of joy lighting up his
wasted countenance, he said, "Lord, now lettest
Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes
have seen Thy salvation." He was overcome,
and lay for a time as if dead.

The words he uttered were his prayer, and

2o8 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

it was answered two days later, when in peace,
and with a brief farewell to his wife and myself,
he was taken to the higher service of the sanctu-
ary above. The words he uttered were also his
thanksgiving and his resignation. During the
interval till his death, quite contrary to his
former hopefulness of recovery, he was assured
he was to die. He once said he would like
to be raised up to see the work in progress,
but he knew it was to be otherwise, and he
said it was best. So died William Koyi,
having been a humble and faithful follower of
the Saviour, a trophy from heathenism, and the
pioneer of the Gospel in Ngoniland. It was
meet that, his work done, his dust should rest
where he had fought the battle, becoming the
title-deed to "Ngoniland for Christ." His was
the second mission grave opened there.

Mr SUTHERLAND, Artisan Mismonakv.

CHAPTER X

IN MEMORIAM : JAMES SUTHERLAND

ALTHOUGH less closely connected with the
work in Ngoniland than William Koyi, it
is fitting that the name and work of James
Sutherland should be had in remembrance also,
for he was the first European missionary to reside
among the Ngoni, having been sent to be with
Mr Koyi in 1882, and along with him had to bear
the trials of those early days.

I write not merely as a fellow-worker but as a
close friend, and having had much to do with his
choice of foreign mission service. Born in Wick
in 1856, he was converted, when a youth of
eighteen, about the time of Moody's visit to
Scotland in 1874, and became a Sabbath School
teacher, and "Monthly Visitor" tract distributor
in his native town.

In 1876 I went to Wick as missionary to the
fisher population. I gathered around me a band
of young men, young in years like myself, and
young in the Christian life. They became my best

0 '°5

2IO AMONG THE WILD NGONI

helpers, and along with me took part in open-
air and in-door meetings. We formed a class
for the study of the Bible, Christian Evidences,
Butler's "Analogy," and such-like subjects, as
well as for reading in the English classics. The
friendship then formed lasted to the end. As
I then looked forward to foreign mission work
myself, the subject of missions was well discussed,
and it turned out that I, who had fostered the
desire in his mind, was beaten in the race to
Livingstonia by four years.

Following his father's trade — that of a shoe-
maker— he was a great reader and worked steadily
to improve his education with mind bent on
higher spheres. He was particularly drawn to
scientific studies, and gaining a bursary he entered
Edinburgh University along with one of his com-
panions (a member of my class), who, like him,
had been fighting his own way in the world. It
is characteristic of their thirst for knowledge
under difficulties, that, both being shorthand
writers, they each took a different class outside
the line of their special studies, and by inter-
changing their note-books had practically the
benefit of both classes for one fee each. After
two Sessions at Edinburgh, in 1880 a man who
understood agriculture was wanted for Living-
stonia. The advertisement was eagerly read by

IN MEMORIAM: JAMES SUTHERLAND 211

the two students, and as agriculture was one of
the subjects they had been studying, each deter-
mined, unknown to the other, to apply. A late
member of the Mission, studying medicine along
with me, was deputed to see the candidates, and
by the same mail I received letters from them
both asking for a recommendation. James
Sutherland was chosen, and the other went to
India to a commercial life, but was no less a
missionary. Both died within a few months of
each other.

Leaving home in the middle of 1880 he was
for some time engaged in the work of the Mission
at Bandawe under Dr Laws. He had been
appointed to fill the post of agriculturist, rendered
vacant by the death of his predecessor when on
the point of leaving for home at the end of his
engagement. But while nominally agriculturist,
he was, like all the others on the staff, everything
by turns, as was rendered necessary by the con-
ditions of work in the beginning which was being
made at Bandawe. He was engaged in the erec-
tion of manse and school ; in the laying out of
the station and garden ; in testing the capabilities
of the soil at and around Bandawe for the
development of agricultural work ; and at times
had to take his turn at school and meeting.

He saw Bandawe founded, and it was there he

212 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

was permitted to do most evangelistic work for
which he was eminently suited. His close con-
tact with the people every day while in charge
of out-door labour enabled him speedily to master
the Tonga language. He gained the affection
of the poor down-trodden Tonga people by his
happy disposition, and sowed much seed of the
Word, which has no doubt helped towards the
success of the work there since. Whatever his
hand found to do was done with all his might.
His sympathies were broad, and with the various
phases of mission life and experience he was in
harmony, keeping ever before him the great end
for which he was sent out. He felt the troubles
and anxieties consequent on the Ngoni raids long
ere he was sent to be among that people. On one
occasion he was lying helpless in fever when an
Ngoni army was reported to be marching on the
station. The sudden change from the quiet of
the neighbourhood to the tumult and cries of the
frightened natives, and the hasty preparations
for flight of the Mission party, was a great strain
on Sutherland in his weak state, and in a single
night his hair began to turn grey. But he never
regretted having given himself to the work, and
it would be difficult to picture the harmony,
happiness, and at times the mirth of the three
youths who lived in " Bachelors' Hall " as they

IN MEMO RUM: JAMES SUTHERLAND 213

named their house. In those days the conditions
of health were not very good, and long periods
passed without a mail or news from the outer
world, but he and the others lived and laboured
as if all depended on their exertions.

When, in 1882, he was sent to Ngoniland as
co-worker with Mr Koyi, he set himself to learn
the language of the people, but by means of
Tonga he was at once at work among those
slaves of the Ngoni who spoke that language.
There, as at Bandawe, his influence was chiefly
among the common people, and many in bond-
age to the Ngoni had a new feeling aroused by
his kindly words and the telling of the story of
Christ's love. He spent much of his time in the
neighbouring villages, and gathered under his
influence a number of young men, many of
whom have since become members of the Church,
and some are now respectable members of society,
who were, before he took them up, wild reckless
youths bent on following the ways of the Ngoni.
At Njuyu he erected the brick dwelling-house.
It was no light matter to begin such an under-
taking, where, with the exception of brick-mould
and trowel, everything else requisite had to be
got by the labour of natives. The natives had
probably never before seen a brick, much less
moulded one. They knew to set a few sticks in

214 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the ground in a circle and tie over them a few-
wattles and some grass, which served them as a
house. Besides, the people had no inclination
for work, they lived, not by the sweat of their
brow, but by stealing the things of others. With
such a set of helpers Mr Sutherland had to start
to build a house of several rooms, which, accord-
ing to the frequently expressed view of the
natives, when finished, was a village under one
roof. The clay had to be dug and puddled, then,
by means of moulds made of disused provision
cases, shaped into bricks and laid down in the
shade to dry. For a long time it was extremely
irritating work to spend a whole forenoon in
teaching two or three to mould bricks, or others
to lay them down flat in rows in the shade, and
find when the bell rang for mid-day rest the whole
squad of w^orkers demand their pay, saying they
had now worked a great deal and needed to rest
for a time. How could a hundred and twenty
thousand bricks be made at that rate? But
Sutherland struggled on, and erected a noble
house. Although only of sun-dried bricks, which
are easily dug into by white ants, it stands to-
day a monument of taste and thoroughly honest
work.

It is a common experience in many Missions,
that some men with special handicrafts engaged

IN MEMORIAM: JAMES SUTHERLAND 215

to do special work in the mission, develop the
idea that mission-work is only preaching and
teaching ; they despise their position and mis-
judge their influence, and in time throw up
the work, or remain and are a source of
trouble to their colleagues. Sutherland was not
one of those. He made all his work true
missionary work by his consecration to the
service of Christ. Often did he turn up the
pages of his shorthand note-book and read over
a sermon preached by Dr Laws on Zech. xiv. 20,
" Holiness to the Lord," treating of the ideal and
possible in even the manual labour which might
be engaged in for the Mission. " Let the spirit
of every one impress even on the bricks he makes
the motto, " Holiness unto the Lord i "' Such was
Sutherland's aim in all his work, and was that
which enabled him to live a tranquil life amid
many worries. He could have answered the
speaker, who, at a meeting of the Anthropolo-
gical Institute reproached the missionaries as do-
nothings, and called the natives imitative brutes,
in the words of Zimmerman, " Did I not put
tools into the hands of the natives, and teach
them to fell timber, to saw boards, and to make
them into doors and window-frames ? Did not
I myself dig the clay and make the first hundred
bricks, in order that the imitative brutes might

2i6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

do the same? Did not I dig the ground and
build the foundation walls of brick and mortar,
until I could trust these brutes to proceed by
themselves ? Yes ! I have now a house which
shelters me, and compared with the sheds of the
natives, is more like a palace. You say the
African is like the ape, an animal gifted with the
power of imitation. Well ! Only his power of
imitation goes a little beyond that of the brute."

Ten years have made a great change on the
working habits of the people, and it is even
yet not an easy matter or one conducing to
equanimity of temper, to have to superintend
natives at work, and what it must have cost
those who laid the foundations of the present
progress may be imagined. Sutherland had a
sweet disposition, and was the right man in the
right place. No one who knew him will forget
his quiet behaviour under great provocation, and
he had the happy knack of stimulating the native
to honest work, not by fear, but by a powerful
personal influence.

He was much respected by Mombera, and his
happy manner made him attractive to many of
the Ngoni. His life at Njuyu was too circum-
scribed for his ardent spirits. When building
work was over, and as no schools were permitted,
while it was unsafe to move to a distance from

IN MEMORIAM: JAMES SUTHERLAND 217

the station, he felt the hardship of not having his
hands full of work. Added to this there were
the frequent rumoui's of war, and excitement
over the ill-concealed bad intentions of the
Ngoni towards the Mission, and what was a
daily annoyance almost past endurance — the
begging of the people, from the chief and his
wife downwards. It was not the polite request
by one in need, but the insolent demand, and a
volley of abuse if the request was not granted.
One could scarcely name a thing that was not
coveted and demanded. From early morning all
through the day till near sunset there were
people begging. There was no privacy, for they
forced themselves into the house, there being
only reed doors at first. On one occasion, in
order to let a sick member have privacy and
quiet, his bed had to be set behind the door to
block the entrance. Mombera was often im-
pudent and unbecoming in his behaviour, and
so all the people were encouraged in the same
manner of treating the mission-party when their
demands were not satisfied. There was one good
quality in the Ngoni character. If the mission-
aries were absent there was no attempt to enter
the house. Their own laws were severe on that
point, and death was the penalty for house-enter-
ing— it could not be called house-breaking, where

2i8 AMONG THE WILD NGONl

the only lock to a native door is a cross stick
outside, to which the door is fastened by a string.
Acting on the knowledge of this, when Mom-
bera and his retinue, or a bevy of his wives — an
impudent, drunken set of beings — were seen as-
cending from the river to the station, Sutherland
and Koyi would hastily pocket some food, and
putting up the reed doors, slip out at the back
and scramble up Njuyu hill, behind which, in
peace with a good book, they looked down on the
begging visitors finding their journey in vain.
Time was nothing to them, and they could as
comfortably smoke, snuflF, and talk gossip on the
mission-house verandah as at home, and some-
times they remained a whole forenoon. It was
an experience which could not have been avoided.
The people were eager to get cloth and beads,
but as for desiring the Gospel there was no evi-
dence they did so, but much to show they were
utterly opposed to it. In such circumstances it
required tact and consecration to do as much
Christian work as was done. While the pros-
pect was of the most unpromising nature,
Sutherland never lost hope or faith, and it was
a solace in his many worries and unsuccessful
efforts to reach the people, to gather the few
house-boys round him every day and teach them
to read the Word of God for themselves. In the

IN ME MO RUM: JAMES SUTHERLAND 219

early stage of such, a mission, what people at
home imagine is mission work may have but a
small place. The foundation builders have as
arduous a task, and of them is required as great
faith and earnest work, though all they do will
be hid by the superstructure raised by those who
come after them, as those who, like myself and
others, have been able, on what they achieved,
to go forth to sow and to reap — to do such work
as some are pleased to count as alone mission
work.

The circumstances under which Koyi and
Sutherland laboured were such that very little
opportunity was given for, and little dependence
could be placed on, oral teaching. Many a
young, vigorous missionary, fresh from home,
full of his own perceptions of the truth and his
new duty, goes from village to village " bearing
witness," and returns home feeling he has ful-
filled his mission. But real missionary work in
the early stage of a mission to such a grossly
sensual, barbarously cruel people as the Ngoni,
or their even more degraded slaves, the Tumbuka,
more frequently consists in a consistent, loving
life, than in sermons or addresses however
eloquent. Such work is harder than preach-
ing, and such work was well done by the de-
parted brethren.

2 20 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

Like his fellow-worker, Mr Koyi, he was called
to the higher service above ere the fruit of his
toils in Ngoniland was gathered, but to-day, as I
scan the faces of those who sit at the Table of
the Lord in the church at Njuyu, I see one and
another who recall Sutherland to my mind, and
I can trace their spiritual history and meet him
in his dealings with them far back in 1885. The
worker may fall but the work goes on. So deter-
mined was he to cling to Ngoniland and live a
missionary's life, if he were not permitted to do a
missionary's work, that in 1885 when trouble for
us was abroad, and it seemed as if we would
indeed be driven from the country, Mr Suther-
land was prepared to become a slave to them in
order to be allowed to remain. He even went
and chose his owner — an old and much respected
Swazi woman, the widow of Chipatula.

He packed up his goods, and on August 10th
left for Bandawe. On September 29th, 1885, he
died of haematuric fever within a week or two of
the expiry of his first five years' service. When
the news of his death reached Njuyu, the natives
came in large numbers to express their sorrow,
for Sutherlandi, as they called him, had won
their afi'ection. Mombera also sent messengers
to speak his sorrow. As this was the first death
of a mission member he had known, he sent also

IN MEMORIAM : JAMES SUTHERLAND iix

to ask if we believed people died by witchcraft,
and if we thought our friend had been killed by
the Tonga at Bandawe, he would set the matter
right for us by sending down a war-party. It
gave us an opportunity of speaking plainly to
Mombera on the lesson for them of the life of
Sutherland, and thus in his death as well as in
his life he preached to the people.

CHAPTER XI

THE CRISIS : WAK, OR THE GOSPEL

THE year 1887 opened bright for us. We had
a little school of twenty-two scholars and
a class of young men too old to attend school, but
who were anxious to learn the Word of God. It
was now that the results of the past years of con-
tact with the people could be estimated, when any
who wished might come to us for instruction. For
six years there had been nothing seen of what
critics of mission work would term results, and
yet we were now gladdened by observing that
behind the apparent indifference of the people,
and their merely worldly interests in clinging to
us when we had work to offer them, the influence
of the daily life of the staff had produced a marked
effect. Although evangelistic work had been for-
bidden, the hundreds of workers who were engaged
with us in brick-making, house-building, and road-
making, formed an audience to which we minis-
tered. Now when they were at liberty to come
to our classes they did so, and, apparently quite

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 223

suddenly, there arose a band of young men who
were ready to stand by us. There was at least
a mind open to what we taught, and their belief
in some of their own customs was considerably
shaken.

The youths who began to speak of our work
as worthy the attention of the people, excited a
violent storm of persecution. It was made plain
to us that the edict of the chiefs, however favour-
able to our work, could not, and did not, change
the natural mind of the population. It began to
be a fight between the Gospel and the word of
the witch-doctor, and the enmity of the natural
and unrenewed heart of man. But to us it was
full of encouragement, as it showed that these
youths were not acting one thing in our presence,
and another thing when among their countrymen.
The leading boys in the prayer-meeting were sons
of a witch-doctor who lived near the station. He
also had come under the influence of Mr Koyi,
and we were gratified by a step which he took in
the beginning of the year. His village was the
nearest to the station, and almost every day
people came to consult him. The still morn-
ings resounded with the responses of the appli-
cants as they followed the doctor in ''smelling-
out " the case, and at times with the sound of his
drums and the accompanying plaintive songs as

2 24 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

some demon was being exorcised. When he began
to perceive the nature of our work, and witnessed
the effect of it on his boys, he moved his " con-
sulting-room " to one of his other villages, about
seven miles away among the neighbouring hills,
in order, either to be away from the light which
revealed his darkness, or out of respect to us. I
believe it was from the latter, because about this
time he discontinued taking with him, for the
performance of his incantations in the country,
his children who were attending our school and
classes. In connection with these functions
he required the beating of a series of drums
of different pitch, and his sons and daughters
were accustomed to do the work, but now he
chose others and set them free. Wherever
this man went he had a good word to say
on our behalf, and his faith in us was further
shown by his sending his wives and children
to the station to be treated w^hen sick. Yet
although he attended our services and encour-
aged his children to cling to us, he continued
to practice his profession, and his case shows
how difficult it is for a native advanced in
years to give up his long-established beliefs
and follow a new course.

In marked contrast to that, and showing how
important work among the young is, the case of

THE CRISIS: IV JR, OR THE GOSPEL 225

one of his sons may be stated. He was supposed
to have become possessed of an evil spirit
(chiromho), and his father arranged for a dance
to exorcise it. The son gave a passive obedience
to the arrangements made by the father. I was
staying at a village a few miles from where the
dance was to take place. On a Sunday morning
a woman, who is now an active Christian worker,
came to me to ask some blue cloth in which to
clothe the subject of the dance, it being supposed
that this chiromho was in quest of that variety
of calico. I of course refused, and a few hours
later I received a note from the young man
Chitezi, as his name was, requesting me to send
him my Zulu Bible, as, while he had to submit
to his father, he desired to show that he did not
believe in what was going on. In the evening I
went to see him and found his father, painted
with red clay, in the midst of his di\aning instru-
ments, and in a circle around him and his son,
who sat reading the Bible, the drummers and
dancers perfoimed. It was a strange sight.
Such dances and performances were common
enough in the country, but never before where
the subject of them sat reading the Word of God.
Parental anxiety was no doubt shown, and on the
son's part filial obedience. The one was not able
to exercise implicit faith in God and the Gospel,

p

226 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and Jbence fell back on that which gave his mind
rest ; and the other was not strong enough to
declare a separation from the superstitions in
which he had been brought up.

Not long after this, however, Chitezi did un-
mistakably confess his faith before men, in deny-
ing and opposing the pretensions of an old
woman, who, as a " chief of hades " {fumu wa
pansi) practised her deceptions upon the com-
munity. Such individuals travelled through the
country, dressed grotesquely and painted with
white clay. They were credited with the power of
turning themselves into ravenous beasts, such as
lions and leopards, and of devouring any who
might incur their anger, or whom they might be
hired by anyone to destroy. It was also believed
that the spirit of some dead chief was located in
them. In consequence of this reputation, when
they turned up in a village in the evening, the
people were so frightened that they endeavoured
by gifts of cloth, beads and food to gain their
good-will and so be left unharmed. Chitezi, on
one occasion, turned on one of these deceivers and
challenged her to turn herself into a lion. In-
stantly the whole community turned on him and
affirmed that he was mad, and that his action
would enrage the " chief of hades " and bring
trouble upon them all. He challenged her to

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 227

appear next evening at sun-set as a lion and he
would fight her. She accepted the challenge.
Chitezi, who, during the day was not quite at
ease, armed himself with spears and sat on the
village ant-hill to await the issue. Of course no
lion came, but among the villagers the force of the
incident was minimised by the woman's having
gone away, leaving a message that out of respect
to his father she refrained from hurting a child of
Kalengo's. At the same time the matter was
talked over and good was done by it. Only
enlightenment of mind can remove the terrible
fear which possesses them of what may happen if
certain things are not done. It is not easy for
them to give up their faith in their own practices.
They are part of their life, and hence we find
many instances where a patient being treated by
us is at the same time undergoing their own
treatment. In other cases, which at first almost
comprised the whole of our medical work, it is
only when their own doctors fail that we are
called in. A medical missionary's most important
work, or the ultimate end of it, is not merely to
cure the patient. What his purely medical work
greatly aids in accomplishing is the correction of
error, physical, mental, and moral, and so he is
compensated for the frequently unsatisfactory
medical results of his efibrts in many cases. The

228 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

people cannot be laughed out of their (to us)
absurd positions and beliefs. Their emancipation
is a progressive work towards which all our work
tends. In the Highlands of Scotland, and in the
lowlands as well, I have met with instances of a
blind obedience to superstitious usages, as firm and
as absurd as may be met with in Central Africa.
When on this subject I may relate an incident
which led to my having great freedom from
molestation by those possessed of evil spirits.
Some individuals went, or were led, about the
country by their friends, supposed to be "pos-
sessed." At one time they affirmed the spirit
could be exorcised by red cloth, and at other
times by beads. They were usually well laden
with such, but still the chirombo kept possession,
and many overtures were made to me to help the
cure by gifts. One day a strong, one-eyed man,
named Luguta, whom I well knew as a bad char-
acter, was brought to the station. He fell down,
and writhed and roared until the perspiration
flowed from every pore, and the foam fell from
his mouth. It was certainly a hideous sight, and
well calculated to move anyone to pity if it had
been free from deception. There was a band of
young women with him, clapping their hands,
which, they said, helped to quiet the spirit.
They pleaded with me to give him something

THE CRISIS: IVylR, OR THE GOSPEL 229

and let him go. I spoke to Luguta, but got
no reply. My offer to give him medicine was
rejected by the girls at first. They said the
spirit wanted beads ; but I obtained their con-
sent, and went inside for my strong ammonia,
which I applied to Luguta's nostrils. It put an
end to his deception, and he ran off, not desiring
a second inhalation. I said to the girls, '* If you
hear of any more evil spirits bring them to me,
as I have medicine which they cannot stand."

Four years before this a wattle-and-daub school
had been built in the hope and belief that ere
long teaching would be permitted. This large,
empty house was often the occasion of ridicule
by the chief and headmen, who proposed that
we should keep our cattle in it. AVhen they
were told that we had built it as the school in
which their children were to be taught, they
asked how long we would wait — till their
beards had grown grey ? We were told that
the white ants would destroy it many long
years before it should be required. We said
quietly, " In that house your children shall be
taught while they are yet children." These
words were repeated on many occasions, when
there seemed no likelihood of their being re-
alised ; but yet it came to pass, although, as
we had said we would do, we had to keep it

230 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

propped with trees inside and outside. We
had triumphed and were glad, yet it was with
a feeling of regret that one morning we saw
the house collapse, and we were left in the
middle of the rainy season with no house in
which to conduct school. The verandah of
the dwelling-house, however, served the pur-
pose, and for nearly a year we met there.

We set to work to build a brick school. I
found, however, that when I was engaged in
school-work the workers in the brick-field did
nothing at all. Instead of turning out twelve
hundred bricks a day, we got only four hundred.
I determined to give out the work in contract to
one of the best men who could read, at so much
per thousand bricks. He was overseer under me
before, but was as dishonest at work as the others.
I pointed out to him how he could work to his
own advantage, and that if several workers could
be got to work steadily, all the others would
follow. He put his wives among the workers
at the different jobs, and by what means we
need not inquire he got them to lead the others.
The work went on. He had more than double
his former pay, and we had bricks at two-thirds
the former cost. This was, I think, the first
native contract for work in Livingstonia, and I
was freed from attendance at the brick-field, and

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 231

could devote myself to other work. When the
brick-making was resumed after the events to be
narrated in this chapter, a contract was not given.
I pointed out to Chitezi that he and the others
had now given proof of what they could do when
working faithfully, and that as he was learning
the Gospel he would understand what he should
do in all his work. I showed how his former
work, which yielded us bricks at a cheaper rate
than before, was still too dear for the Mission,
and that he would merely be paid as overseer ;
but if at the end of the season he worked satis-
factorily, and relieved me as before, he would re-
ceive a bonus. This arrangement he understood
to be equal to the ordinary standard of payment
all over among the whites. Although it was con-
siderably less than he had received under contract,
yet to his credit be it told, his work was satisfactory,
and he received his bonus. He has continued ever
since as a worker in connection with the Mission,
although polygamy and occasional instances of
drunkenness barred his way into the Church.

For the first half of the year the work in all de-
partments went on smoothly, and we had an ever-
widening circle of adherents. The children made
fair progress in school, and the station and village
services were attended by people from near and far.
Mrs Elmslie had got a fair start made among the

232 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

girls by taking some into the house for training, and
by class-work in the school, and a special sewing-
class to which about twenty children came.

The only thing which arose to mar our happi-
ness in the great change resulting from getting
liberty to carry on the work, was the murder of
six of our Tonga carriers on the road to Bandawe,
by a band of Ngoni under Nawambi, one of the
most notoriously cruel and indomitable warriors
in the country. The late Mr M'Intyre, teacher
at Bandawe, had come up to recruit after illness,
and the Tonga who carried him and his loads to
Njuyu were on their way home when they were
set upon by the Ngoni in the forest. We were
accustomed in those days to long intervals in our
communications with our friends outside, as we
were dependent mainly on Tonga to act as bearers
of letters, so it was about six weeks after the
event before we knew there was truth in the
rumour that we heard in Ngoniland. We tried
to get Ngoni to go with letters to ascertain the
cause of the long silence of our friends, and our
fears were increased when all refused to go down
to Bandawe. At last two slaves, who had for-
merly lived at the Lake, and to whom as we
shall see we afterwards owed very much, agreed
to go. On their return we found that six inno-
cent, industrious Tonga had been killed, and our

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 233

carriers saw their skeletons lying near the path.
When we tried to get Mombera the chief to take
up the case he declined, not being anxious to try
such a warrior as Nawambi for the offence. We
even failed to get from him a condemnation of
the attack, or any pronouncement which would
tend to secure for us and our carriers a reason-
able measure of protection. Nothing was said
against us or our work, and we tried to live
down the clamouring for war which the incident
had markedly stimulated. We had our school
and other work going on as before, but our faith
in Mombera's former protestations of friendship
was considerably shaken, and we observed that
the attitude of the leaders of regiments, and many
others, was less friendly to us than before.

We were well inured to trouble and anxiety,
but the continuance of anxious days and the
approach of a gathering storm told upon both
my wife and myself, and we had a succession of
attacks of fever which no treatment seemed to
abate. Removal to another district in Ngoni-
land, although to live amid the discomforts of a
native hut, quickly restored us both. This was
the first occasion on which I proved the truth of
Livingstone's advice, to move a patient to a differ-
ent part when in a low state from which nothing
seems able to rally him. Often, afterwards, good

2 34 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

resulted from a change even from one house to
another, or from one room to another in the same
house. The natives have their own explanation
of such a thing. They often carry a moribund
patient to another village, or out into the bush,
with the idea of cheating the evil spirit attacking
him. The patient recovers, and they consider
that they evaded the spirit. They always have
a reason for everything they do, and in this con-
nection I might mention that my wife when
almost gone on one occasion, being exhausted
through a severe illness, was saved by being fed
with raw beef juice. The natives knew that she
was apparently dying, and were tenderly sympa-
thetic. When I had a bullock killed they knew it
was for her, and the rumour went round that despite
all my preaching I did exactly as they did, and
sacrificed a beast to our ancestral spirit, and my
wife recovered. Such things gave opportunities of
meeting their difficulties and of leading them out
into the light. Medical work was slow and unsatis-
factory for a long time, just because it professed
to be natural and not supernatural. Had we pre-
tended to superhuman wisdom we should have
had a much larger following in less time.

The explanation of the attack on the Tonga
carriers and the altered disposition of Mombera
and the Ngoni, before referred to, came out in

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 235

the middle of the year in connection with a visit
which Dr Laws paid to us in July. This was the
first occasion after his return from furlough on
which he had visited Ngoniland since 1883. He
was put by the Ngoni in loco parentis to the
whole Mission, and hence arose many of our diffi-
culties, although to that, I doubt not, we also
owed some degree of safety. At the time of his
last visit to Mombera Dr Laws was requested to
loring back with him bulls to improve the stock,
woolly sheep, cloth, beads, brass wire, and even dogs,
without giving him means to do so. During the
years that elapsed till his return, his expected
visit was often the subject of conversation among
the people, but it was always in connection with
the wealth that he was expected to bring to them.
When Dr Laws visited Ngoniland in July he
gave a handsome present to Mombera and to the
Chipatula family, yet he was received with but
scant courtesy by Mombera and his headmen.
It was evident that they were dissatisfied, and
when reference was made to the slaughter of our
carriers a few months before, Mombera and others
made defiant charges against the Tonga, and no
satisfaction could be obtained. Mombera would
not listen to any serious talk, and all reference to
our work was ridiculed. Dr Laws remained a
week with us, but Mombera, contrary to his cus-

236 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

torn, paid no return visit, but sent begging mes-
sengers daily to the station. It was evident to
us that there was a storm brewing, but we could
not understand it. About a fortnight after Dr
Laws's visit rumours of discontent were afloat, to
which we paid no attention, until Mombera him-
self spoke to us on the subject. From various
conversations with the chief, we became aware
that the agitation had not arisen in the part of
the tribe among which we had lived and laboured,'
but in the districts of the brothers of Mombera,
which had never been overtaken, and over which
our presence and work had consequently exercised
no influence. We had no doubt of this, and the
reason for Mombera's action was that he was
being harassed by his brothers, and blamed for
keeping to himself all the missionaries and the
wealth that they imagined we bestowed. We
were told by Mombera that Dr Laws would re-
quire to come back and settle the questions which
were agitating the minds of the Ngoni. These
were : 1. Their Tonga wives and children who
ran away some years before had not returned as
was expected when the Mission began work ; and
as there was no expectation of their doing so,
they had decided that if we could not bring them
back without war, they would fetch them from
Bandawe for themselves by war. 2. Having as

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 237

a tribe given up war since we settled among
them, and having as a consequence become poor,
they wished to know how we were to enrich
them, as they expected us to do if they gave up
war. 3. That all the members of the Mission
were to leave Bandawe and come to Ngoniland,
so that instead of there being only one station
the whole country might be occupied.

The questions were formidable enough, and it
now became apparent to us that we would have
to deal with the clamourings of Mombera's
brothers who were chiefs of large districts. We
were thrown into great anxiety, as there seemed
to be no way out of the difficulty. The first
question had always been a source of trouble to
us, and as the years went on their jealousy of
the Tonga increased, because they considered
them as more favoured by having the head
station am(jug them, and imagined that they
received uu limited supplies of cloth and beads.
The second was likewise present always, but its
prominence was waning, as our work had greatly
turned it out of the minds of Mombera and his
own retainers, but to have to begin to fight the
other chiefs on this ground filled us with great
fear for the safety of our work even among
Mombera's people. The third question showed
that it was not missionaries but calico-distributors

238 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

that Mombera's brothers desired. The reason of
their desire to have all the missionaries in Ngoni-
land was, that they might retain us and yet have
freedom to wage war on the surrounding tribes.

The situation was at least clear to us, and we
could set about making our arrangements. As
the continuance of the work at Bandawe de-
pended on the attitude of the Ngoni towards the
Tonga, we in Ngoniland had to act in concert
with the brethren there. Our dilemma was this :
Ngoniland could be held by agreeing to Ngoni
demands, but that involved casting away the
Tonga and leaving them to the inhuman attacks
of the Ngoni. They had helped in opening up
Ngoniland — some of them even losing their lives
in our service — therefore on no account could we
think of that. But if Ngoniland could not be
held, neither could Bandawe, and the Tonga and
we together would suffer. Yet to accept the
Ngoni proposals would have been to take sides
with them against the Tonga, and not for a
moment did we think of doing so.

I wrote and urged Dr Laws to come up and
meet the Ngoni with George Williams (the Kafir
Missionary) and myself. At this time we suf-
fered under a heavy family affliction, and my
wife was lying helpless in bed. Around us were
the Ngoni in a very unsettled state, engaging in

THE CRISIS: IV J R, OR THE GOSPEL 239

war-dances every day. Below the house near
the river the armies of Mtwaro and Maurau,
Mombera's brothers, were encamped, bent on
some expedition, the nature of which was hid
from us. To complicate matters, the road to
Bandawe was closed, and carriers could not be
got to go down. It was a time of terrible sus-
pense, and although not of personal danger we
believed, the fear that our work among the Ngoni
and at Bandawe might be ruined, filled our minds
with uncertainty and distress. It seemed the
darkest hour of our life among the Ngoni, and
our neighbours were afraid to be on intimate
terms with us.

When letters passed between us Dr Laws and
I decided that as there did not seem to be much
prospect of a peaceable settlement, we should
endeavour to prepare at both places for being
driven out. Our situation in Ngoniland was
anything but pleasant or easy. Our letter-
carriers were the two slaves before referred to,
and in their journeys to and from the Lake they
left the usual paths and travelled in the bush.
They were trusty fellows and were the only ones
in whom we could confide. They received their
letters or loads at night and started ofi", getting
well into the bush before daylight.

It was evident to us that in our possible ex-

24© AMONG THE WILD NGONI

pulsion from Ngoniland we should be unable to
take anything with us, so we set about the saving
of the most valuable of the Mission property. It
is fortunate that on such occasions a missionary's
own possessions do not usually stand very much
in the way, and I had only my microscope and
books to be a great care at the time. We could
not send away many things, so our first care was
to get the valuable surgical instruments sent off.
We could only send small parcels as our carriers
had rough ground to traverse, without paths.
Over £100 worth of instruments were quietly
despatched, and then my microscope followed.
Everything else had to be disposed of otherwise
or left in the house. My books I put in tin-
lined boxes and buried in the ground. Other
things were treated in the same way. The well-
stocked dispensary presented a difficulty. I could
not close it or have the shelves emptied lest sus-
picion should be aroused. I chose several spots
in the garden and in one of the stores, and buried
the medicines. It was the height of the dry
season and the ground was hard as stone. I
went out for several nights about one o'clock, and
by means of an auger bored the ground under
cover of darkness and scooped it out with my
hands, not daring to use any tool lest the sound
should attract any one who might be out of
doors. We could not trust even our house boys.

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 241

All the while that this was going on, my wife
was lying weak and helpless in bed, no doubt
greatly hindered in her convalescence by the
anxieties of the hour. For several hours every
night I dug up the earth and made pits in which
to bury the medicines, anon running in to pass a
few minutes with my wife in her weakness. It
was easy work secreting the stoppered bottles. I
knew the labels would be destroyed by white
ants, so to preserve the names of the drugs in
the several bottles, I scratched a number on each
bottle and carefully noted it in a book. For
corked bottles, jars, etc., which could not be
buried, I adopted the plan of putting them into
an empty flour-tin, and soldering it up. In this
way nearly all the drugs were preserved against
the worst which we feared, and a plan of the
station was made, and the spots where the things
were hid, carefully marked. A copy was sent to
Bandawe and to one of the other stations, and I
pocketed one to carry wath me. In digging in
the store I had to lift a brick floor. I could only
work at this when the servants were out of the
house, and they had a high time of play for some
days, as they were granted an unusual amount
of leave. The earth taken out had to be carried
away at night. There was a sense of relief w^hen
so much of the Mission property was made secure,

Q

242 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

although at the time the air was filled with the
sound of war-dances, and armed parties were
collecting at the chiefs village for review.

It was an occasion requiring great prudence,
and we had to act in Ngoniland, not only because
of our own position, but to give Dr Laws time
to arrange matters at Bandawe. Dr Laws was
aware that there would probably be trouble with
the Tonga. He found that, as on former occa-
sions, they demanded the assistance of the white
men in meeting the Ngoni, and some even pro-
posed that they should accompany them in a
Tonga invasion of Ngoniland. In the middle of
September Dr Laws gathered the Tonga together,
and put before them the whole situation, as it
came out in the questions the Ngoni proposed
for discussion. They declined to give up the
women and children whom the Ngoni claimed,
as the Ngoni had stolen them in the first instance.
By the Lake steamer which had brought rein-
forcements for the Mission, some goods were sent
away from Bandawe, and also native women and
children belonging to Cape Maclear. The Ngoni
were clamouring for Dr Laws, and we had to put
off fixing a date for the meeting until he could
see his way to leave his fellow-members safe at
Bandawe. We had to try and arrange so that
the flight of the Bandawe staff should be possible

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 243

in the event of war, leaving us on the hills, with
Dr Laws and the faithful Tonga he was to bring
w^ith him, free to act according to circumstances.
All seemed to go well for a time. We had
managed to get the more valuable Mission
property away to Bandawe, and Dr Laws had
sent that and also much of the Bandawe goods
away to Cape Maclear, and the steamer had
returned to stand by and take away the rest
of the staff if need be. But just as Dr Laws
saw all this arranged and was ready to come
to Ngoniland, his difficulties at Bandawe were
suddenly and greatly increased, and we had
again to postpone the date of meeting. The
Tonga had become suspicious of the movements
made at Bandawe, and prevented the embarking
of passengers or goods on the steamer. The
roads were watched day and night lest an at-
tempt should be made by any one to go away,
as they feared that if once the white men left
Bandawe they would be destroyed by the Ngoni.
It was therefore impossible for Dr Laws to come
up before the end of October, and even then he
had the anxiety of knowing that the fickle Tonga
were surrounding the station, and that not one
but all at Bandawe and in Ngoniland were now
forced to await on the spot whatever the issue
might be. We knew from the first that we in

244 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

Ngoniland had to wait, but it was not expected
that the Tonga would rise as they did and thwart
the best efforts of Dr Laws who, with us, was
enduring all the trouble on their account. As he
wrote to me at the time, " The matter comes to
this, we must do our best to stick to both stations
if it is possible for you up there to do so with
safety. If you must leave, then some other point
than Bandawe must be the point aimed at on our
return, for to come here would be simply to be
fixed in a trap with the rest of us. To-night I
feel that here I have sought to do everything
that prudence might suggest for the safety of
lives and property. Now we are hemmed in,
and we can only await to see what may be the
next indications of God's providence, trusting
our Heavenly Father to guide us to do what is
right, just and true, and altogether according to
His holy will." For a month longer the suspense
had to be endured, and the letters which we were
at times able to send each other are full of what
was ia our minds, and what was so prominent a
subject in our prayers. Each letter was closed,
not knowing what might transpire before another
could be sent, and gave indications of what was
to be done should the Ngoni rise up. We had
to hide from the Ngoni the cause of Dr Laws'
delay in coming up. Had they known of the

THE CRISIS: WAR, OR THE GOSPEL 245

action of the Tonga at Bandawe they would have
gone down with war. We had to trust our two
faithful slave-carriers not to reveal what they saw
and heard at Bandawe, and throughout it all
they were faithful to the trust. At this time
the Ngoni army went out, and conflicting rumours
of its destination only added to our anxiety. It
went, however, to attack some Arabs and Bemba
towards the North- West.

At length, on the 27th October 1887, the great
meeting of the chief Mombera and his headmen
with us was convened. We met at eight o'clock
in the morning, and did not end the indaha until
four in the afternoon, and thus sat in the open
cattle-fold under a hot tropical sun for eight
hours, the discomfort to Dr Laws being very
great as he was suffering from fever and had to
go to bed for two days when he returned to the
station. When the indaha began we were asked
to state what we had to say, but we refused to
begin, saying that they had called us and we
would hear them. Mombera thereupon said that
all the missionaries must come and live with
them, and leave them free to attack their former
slaves, the Tonga, We reasoned with them about
the necessity of having a station at the Port of
Bandawe in order even to carry on the work
among the Ngoni on the hills. They conceded

246 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the point, but when it came to the question of
fighting the Tonga, we had to spend hours of
talk ere we got the concession that no war should
be carried to the neighbourhood of our station at
Bandawe. The embassy from Mtwaro was not
agreeable to any cessation of war, and at length
declared that they at their end of the country
never saw us or received anything from us, and
they were determined not to submit to stay at
home while we went up and down to the Lake.
Our road, they said, did not lead past them and
there were no crumbs for them. We seized upon
this remark and offered to open a station in
Mtwaro's district, which satisfied them. We
could have told them that we had tried for years
to enter their region but were hindered by
Mombera; we refrained in the circumstances.

The only man that day who could not be won
over was Mombera, but as it was a tribal matter
the decision of the councillors was binding on
him and the matter ended. The story is soon
told, but as the day went on the demands of
the Ngoni were crushing to our hopes of peace,
and we had even begun between ourselves to
formulate a plan for saving Ngoniland and
Bandawe by Dr Laws himself exchanging stations
with me for a time. As Dr Laws wrote at the
time, he " well knew the worth of their request to

THE CRISIS: WJR, OR THE GOSPEL 247

have him, that it was simply inspired by the
desire to squeeze as much calico, etc. out of us as
possible." But from the quarter whence came
the heaviest assault that day — Mtwaro — the
solution came also, when his ambassador desired
to have a station in their district. With light
hearts we went home and soon messengers were
speeding through the forest, over hill and
mountain-torrent, bearing the glad news to our
friends who had meanwhile been left in un-
certainty at Bandawe, and hearty were our
praises that night at worship with the natives.
The Tonga who had come up with Dr Laws had
been confined to the station, but now they freely
and joyfully mixed with our Ngoni neighbours.
Peace had been declared and at no time since has
it been broken. On one occasion years after, when
some wild youths went on a marauding expedition
to the neighbourhood of Bandawe, Mombera, the
chief, called them up. He said, "You are not
chief. I am chief. You went to Bandawe with
war. Cut their legs," and they were thereupon
hamstrung. "You killed Tonga. Cut their
wrists," and the tendons were divided, and the
miserable wretches crawled away to hide and die.
We had also received an invitation to visit
Mtwaro, between whom and the chief Mombera,
his brother, there was a feud at that time. Each

248 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

blamed the other, as was referred to in a former
chapter, and while under Mombera we were not
permitted to visit Mtwaro. When, a few days
after the indaha, Mahaluli, Mtwaro's ambassador,
visited us, we desired him to settle with the chief
that we be permitted to accept the invitation.
He did so, and we lost no time in going to
Mtwaro. Our way was plainer than on a
former occasion, when we went to treat a
child of Mtwaro's, who was sick. We received
a hearty welcome, and when the boy who had
been sick was brought out and proudly shown
as now in good health through the white man's
medicine, it was evident that the effects of the
medical work were wider than in the good re-
covery of the lad. Some days were spent at
Mtwaro's, and a frank invitation to remain
among them was addressed to us. They had
heard of the medical work, and they wanted a
medical man. They had heard that we were
rich, and would give them much cloth. When
we spoke about our work, they were not sure
if they should give their children to be taught.
The old fear that they would be bewitched by
our words, and would not engage in war, was
expressed. They had heard of the Book, and
what it had done, but they thought we our-
selves should "practise the Book," and give

THE CRISIS: IV JR, OR THE GOSPEL 249

rain and good crops and success in battle, but
leave the children alone. We were prepared
to hear such things, and illustrated how they
should think otherwise. We had with us
Njuyu boys, who could read and write, and
we astonished them by showing what could be
done by means of writing. A boy was sent
out, and then the chief dictated certain words,
which I wrote down, and the boy on being re-
called read them. I was then sent out, and
things were hidden, and I was requested to
say what they were and by whom secreted,
which I did as the boy had written them
down. But it appeared to them as if it were
only the magic of their witch - doctors, and
they thought that it would be unsafe to let
all the children into the secret. When we
came to talk about God and His Word some
of the old men left, being afraid ; but before
the visit ended we were permitted to conduct
a service, and in the singing they were specially
interested. We were ofifered a site for a house
and garden, and requested to come and build.

Another visit of importance was thereafter
paid to Ng'onomo, the Prime Minister of
Mombera. He was a very old friend, but was
the leader of a large army, and frequently out
raiding. He invited myself and my wife to

250 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

"come one day, stay two days, and leave on
the fourth day." We were received in a friendly
manner, and as a Sunday intervened we held a
service. He did not attend, but ordered his
people to do so, and we had a large gathering
near our tent. It was the first Christian service
ever held in the district, and, for uproarious be-
haviour of the audience, was never surpassed any-
where. They roared with laughter when we and
our Njuyu men closed our eyes in prayer. Some
men who had been at an Njuyu service under-
stood our object, and tried to quiet the people.
That was not easily done, and they fell to curs-
ing and swearing while the prayer went on. An
address followed, which was listened to with some
attention. The chief, Mombera, arrived while we
were there with a large retinue, to pay Ng onomo
a visit. Cattle were killed, and large quantities
of beer were brought in from other villages. The
Sunday was spent in riot, and the only quiet we
could get was by going out to the bush and spend-
ing some of our time there. We were close to the
Hora Mountain, and the ground was strewn with
human skeletons — the remains of the poor Tum-
buka who were slaughtered some years before by
the Ngoni. The arrival of the chief, and the de-
bauchery which ensued, prevented all serious talk
with Ng'onomo, and we were glad when we could
leave the place and return home.

THE CRISIS: WylR, OR THE GOSPEL 251

When we again settled down at Njuyu the
work, which had all been interrupted, was re-
sumed, and the school and services at Chinyera,
five miles distant, were begun again by Mr
Williams. We also set about transferring our
medicines from their place in the garden to
the dispensary shelves, and under cover of
darkness that was done. They were uninjured
by being buried, and we restored the labels.
Books sufiered, and certain other things buried
in insecurely -closed boxes; but we were too
overjoyed at the safety of the work to be
pained by our losses. In a short time all was
as before, and we had our hands full.

The rainy season of 1887-8 passed without
trouble to us, and during the next two years
we greatly extended our work of preaching and
healing as we were free to move about almost
everywhere. We were unable, for want of a
man, to open the station at Mtwaro's till near
the end of 1889, when Mr and Mrs M'Callum,
from Bandawe, began work there, and conserved
the results of our frequent visits and operations
there in the interval, proving earnest workers in
a field where many difficulties were present. Our
attempt to gain access to a large district under
another brother of Mombera, named Mperembe,
proved futile, as we were repulsed on several

252 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

occasions because we would not pay our way
by presents of cloth and other goods.

For a few months in 1889 I had the assistance
of a European at Njuyu, and school-work flour-
ished. On his retiring, Mr Charles Stuart, who
had newly arrived to reinforce the stafi", was
located at Njuyu, and had to take up the whole
work. As in the end of January 1890, I had to
go to Bandawe to relieve Dr Laws who was ill,
and thereafter in May to start for home on fur-
lough, which was considerably overdue. Ere
leaving, however, I was privileged to see the
accessions to our staff; the baptism of our
first converts, Mawalera and Makara, two of
those who came by night to be taught in the
dark days of our history ; the extension of
the work to Chinyera and Ekwendeni, and
the institution of five schools. A beginning
had been made, and the long, weary years
of waiting crowned with liberty to go about
and "heal the sick, . . . and say unto them,
The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
Our fallen wattle-and-daub school was replaced
by a brick building, which in a few months
proved too small to accommodate the scholars,
and was replaced by a large, brick school,
which in its turn had to be enlarged.

Dk STEELE.

CHAPTER XII

IN MEMORIAM : REV. GEORGE STEELE, M.B., CM.

FROM 1890 to 1895 the work in Ngoniland
was superintended by Dr Steele, who was
appointed to relieve me on my departure on
furlough. His arrival, as the previous chapter
indicates, was at a time when a distinct stage
in the work had been passed and a new era
begun. The formal consent of the chief and
most of his head-men had been obtained, and
advantage of the opportunities offered had been
taken. The nature of our work had become
more apparent, and it had begun to bear dis-
tinct fruit. Death had come and claimed
two who fought bravely in the early battles.
George Williams had resigned and returned to
the Colony, and two additional white men had
been initiated in the work, so that with increased
and more earnest attendance at school and service
in three distinct districts, with a roll of two Church
members, the position of the work on his arrival
was full of rich promise. It is a long story to

253

254 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

confine to the limits of a single chapter, but the
tale of the work during those years may fittingly
enough be associated with the name of our dear
departed fellow-worker, whose death took place
at Ekwendeni on June 26th, 1895, when he
was on the point of going home for his first
furlough.

Dr Steele was the youngest of seven children,
and when only two years old was deprived of
both father and mother within the space of three
months. The eldest was only seventeen, and she
and the older of the brothers determined that,
however dark were their prospects, they would
endeavour to keep the family together, and take
upon themselves the care and support of the
younger members. At the age of eight he
entered the Buchanan Institution in Glasgow
where he remained until he was thirteen,
receiving a good elementary education there
which proved a sound foundation on which,
by his own ardent eff'orts, he ultimately pro-
ceeded to academic distinction in Glasgow
University. On leaving school he entered a
drapery establishment, where for some years
he remained and carried out his work with
his naturally exact and painstaking fidelity.
At this time his brother Eichard (next in age
to Mary the eldest) had commenced business

IN MEMORIAM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 255

in the boot and shoe line, and Tom, another
brother, assisted him. Tom, however, deter-
mined to study for the ministry. During
Mr Moody's first visit to Glasgow, he was one
of the hundred young men who ofiered them-
selves for service in the Lord's cause, and for
whom arrangements were made for special
evening classes to enable them to carry out
their intentions. Tom eventually passed into
the University, giving up his situation with
his brother, and George left his work in the
drapery establishment to take Tom's place.
The boot and shoe business supplied but a
very moderate income, on which the family
depended, but indomitable perseverance and a
strong family affection kept them together.
Tom at length passed through the University
and the Divinity Hall, and is now a licensed
minister in the Colonial field.

When George was twenty years of age his
future became a matter of concern to him. He
had given himself to the Lord in heart, and now
he desired to give his life to His service. His
brother Richard encouraged and helped him, and
so he began to prepare for entering College with
a view to become a medical missionary. He at-
tended evening classes for four years, and con-
tinued to work under his brother in the shop.

256 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

His progress at evening school was good, because
hie studied faithfully, and took from the hours
for sleep what time his attention to business
deprived him of. At length he entered the
University, and it was only then that the
strain of the financial struggle began. His
brother Richard had given up his business and
had followed Tom to Australia, and now George
was thrown entirely on his own resources. It is
an oft-told tale of hard work, high ideals and
aspirations, overcoming in great trials. But by
rigid economy practised in all details of his
life, without meanness or disregard for the
position he occupied, and for which he had to
commend himself by habit and personal ap-
pearance, and above all with an implicit faith
in God, he passed through the medical curri-
culum and graduated, the possessor of the
coveted degrees in Medicine and Surgery. The
same story might be told of many in our
Scottish Colleges, and the case of Livingstone
was no doubt a stimulus to him who was to
be one of his direct successors in the great work
of the emancipation of Africa and its ingathering
to Christ.

When Dr Steele was attending Glasgow Uni-
versity he was one of a band of noble young men
who have, like him, entered the field as medical

IN MEMORIAM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 257

missionaries. It is something to know a man's
friends, especially his College companions, and
I need only refer to Eev. Drs Mowat, Sandilands,
Macphail and Revie, all in the India Mission
field. Before entering on the record of Dr
Steele's work in Livingstonia, I have pleasure
in giving the tribute of Dr Macphail to the
memory of his companion and friend.

" It was my privilege, from 1884 to 1889, to
have the late George Steele as a class-fellow at-
tending the medical classes at Glasgow University,
and it is a pleasure to have an opportunity of
adding my tribute to his worth. In the year
1884 the religious movement among students,
identified with the name of Professor Henry
Drummond, spread from Edinburgh to Glasgow,
and was the means not only of leading many of
the students to devote themselves to the service
of Christ, but also of bringing those who had
already given themselves to it into closer fellow-
ship with each other. It was at this time that
George Steele became intimately known to me ;
it was the beginning of a friendship which we
maintained in after years by correspondence
when he was in Central Africa and I in India,
and which was only brought to a close by his
lamented death. He threw himself heart and
soul into this movement, willingly lent his aid

258 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

to the work, and also joined a small society,
which consisted of students who had dedicated
themselves to foreign mission work. He was a
very diligent, hard-working student ; and like
so many others in our Scottish Universities, had
to maintain an incessant struggle with adverse
circumstances while pursuing his studies. But
this did not prevent him either from retaining
through it all a very happy-hearted, cheerful
disposition, or from taking a large share in
the work of our Christian societies. For a
season he was President of our Foreign Mission
Students' Union — afterwards amalgamated with
the Volunteer Union — and many of us remember
with pleasure the papers he contributed to our
meetings. Towards the end of his College
course he was appointed assistant at the South-
side Medical Mission, and soon earned the grati-
tude and affection of the poor people to whom he
ministered his kindness and skill. At the same
time the thoroughness of his class-work was
indicated by the fact that he won the medal
in session 1887-8 in the Junior Division of
Professor M'Call Anderson's class of clinical
medicine — an honour which brought almost as
much gratification to all of us who knew him
as to himself. It was some recognition of the
conscientious, painstaking spirit which charac-

IN MEMORUM: REV. GEORGE STEELE 259

terised him in all lie did, and was all the more
creditable to him because he was one of those who
worked not for academic distinction but to qualify
himself for the service of Christ and humanity.

''We spent a short holiday together in Arran
before I sailed for India in 1889, and in the days
of recreation one learned to love and admire him
as much as in the hours of labour. His nature
was singularly bright and buoyant, and his keen
interest in botany and natural history added
greatly to his enjoyment of country life.

"Like most of those who have been led to serve
the Master in the foreign field, he was deeply in-
terested in the work of Christ at home. He was
always a loyal son of the Free Church of Scot-
land, and was warmly attached to Free St James'
Church in Glasgow, a congregation which showed
their appreciation of him by contributing largely
to his surgical equipment when he left for Livtno--
stonia. Of his work in Africa he often wrote to
me in terms which showed how much he loved it.
His brief sketch of camp life among the Ngoni
I read with very great interest.

" It was with very real sorrow that I heard
of his death. Neither time nor distance had
lessened our friendship, or my regard for one
whose memory I shall always cherish as one
of my most treasured possessions."

26o AMONG THE WILD NGONl

My first meeting with Dr Steele was on board
the Couiiand in June 1890, in the Quilimane
river. His appointment to Livingstonia had
been made known six months before, but cir-
cumstances had rendered my departure neces-
sary before he arrived. When the steamer
arrived 1 went on board, and found him with
Messrs James and George Aitken for Living-
stonia, and six young men for the African Lakes'
Company. All were full of life and hope, and
yet only two of the party were spared in health
to return at the end of five years. Such is the sad
side of life in tropical Africa ! I spent several
days with Dr Steele, and saw him away in the
boat for his first and last journey up the Kwakwa
river. He entered Africa full of buoyant hope,
and during those few days, from the questions he
put and the views he expressed, I was greatly
impressed with his suitability for the work among
the Ngoni to which he was appointed.

His introduction to African life was of an un-
usual description. He was at Quilimane at the
time of the Anglo-Portuguese difiiculties over
the opening of the Zambezi and Shire rivers, and
the passage up the latter was made at one point
through a shower of bullets from the Portuguese
guns at the Ruo. The late Joseph Thomson, the
African traveller, was with them on the steamer,

IN MEMORIAM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 261

and his experience and ability got them safely
beyond these opposing Portuguese. Dr Steele's
letters, written on the passage out and during
the inland journey, are full of beautifully simple
and graphic descriptions of all that he saw and
passed through, but running through all is the
index of his thoughts of the work he was to take
up, and of the moral and spiritual condition of
the tribes he passed through. Nothing escaped
his notice, and all being so new, he wrote fully
and in an interesting manner on subjects poli-
tical, scientific and spiritual. Reading through
the pile of his letters before me, one is struck by
the self-eflfacement shown, and his surprise at
certain things which disproved his preconceived
notions of men and things as they are in Africa,
but yet the openness of mind with which he
listened to those whose wisdom and experience
fitted them to be his helpers. Ardour, humility,
hopefulness of disposition, and consecration to
God shone out in his life from the very be-
ginning.

Dr Steele reached Bandawe in the end of July
and settled at Njuyu in the beginning of August.
From the time I left in January to relieve Dr
Laws at Bandawe, until his arrival, the station
at Njuyu was held by Mr Stuart, and that of
Ekwendeni by Mr and Mrs M^'Callum. These

262 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

lonely workers, fifteen miles apart, among a
troublesome people, were new to the district.
Mr Stuart had but a few months' African service,
while Mr M^Callum had come from his former
work at Bandawe. At Njuyu especially the lot
of Mr Stuart was not an easy one. Surrounded
by the discontented Chipatulas, whose ambitious
desire for power and wealth through the aid they
expected from the white men at the beginning of
the Mission had not been realised, he was sub-
jected to many indignities as they took advan-
tage of his novitiate. At Ekwendeni Mr and
Mrs M'^Callum were in the throes of instructing
the lazy Ngoni in manual labour and in educa-
tion, and had in that new district to meet and
overcome the begging habits, proud arrogance,
and dark superstition of the people. Only
those who have had experience in the beginning
of such work can know what it means. The
arrival of Dr Steele cheered the solitary and
hard-pressed workers.

His first visit to Mombera was much a dread
to him, as every account he had received of how
new-comers were treated had made him shrink
for some weeks from facing the ordeal. Then
Mombera was in one of his bad moods and the
reception was not very cordial. When the sub-
ject of the school, which he had said before he

IN ME MO RUM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 263

desired at his liead village, was mentioned, Mom-
bera would not sanction it. His first visit to
Mtwaro at Ekwendeni was more cordial and
pleasant, and Dr Steele's offer of help in the
treatment of his diseased joint drew Mtwaro
very near to him, and compensated for the rude-
ness of Mombera — a rudeness which few who
saw him often do not understand.

As they had been some months without a
doctor, the arrival of Dr Steele was hailed with
delight by the people. Medical work attaches a
people more quickly than any other. While
they could not understand much of what was
taught, and often did not realise that it applied
to them at all, all who received help in distress,
and relief from pain and disease understood that,
and counted the Mission-doctor their friend.
Very soon however Dr Steele realised that what
they desired most was wealth, and their begging
habits were a continual annoyance to him in his
work. Here is a graphic picture of a common
occurrence in the course of a visit to the villages
in carrying on medical mission work. He says,
" The first place I stopped at was Zigodo's village.
This man is Mtwaro s head councillor. To excite
my pity he appeared quite naked, but two yards
of cloth sent him away rejoicing. My next place
of call was Sunduswayo's where I dressed his

264 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

motlier's ulcer. He told me I was to come again
soon and bring him cloth. I next called at
Hloj ana's. In conversation with him about a
pain in his shoulder I asked if I might bring
more medicine for it. He replied that I was
to stop with him next time I passed and give
him a piece of cloth. Few head-men are above
begging."

Eeflecting on his work and surroundings as he
wrote to a friend, he drew a vivid picture of the
condition of the people. " Up here, shut off
from the rest of the world by the eternal hills,
they have little or no notion of what is going on
in the great universe outside. The white men
come from somewhere, but where, they cannot
tell. How to bring home to the natives the
Gospel we have come to teach is the problem
requiring much earnest thought, and above all,
heavenly guidance. Their very simplicity of
mind makes it difficult, but this condition of
mind has combined with it the vices of men,
so that while intellectually they are children,
morally they are men, for one sees among them
all the vices of human nature, — pride, avarice,
greed, meanness, dishonesty, falsehood, &c. De-
spite these, however, they are not destitute of
good parts."

Dr Steele was not long among the Ngoni until

IN MEMORUM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 265

he discovered, as others had done, that they have
a standard of manhood all their own. Until a
man married and owned cattle he was considered
to be but a child and had no interest in tribal
affairs. This made the position of the unmarried
on the staff very liable to be slighted, and shut
doors of usefulness against them. Dr Steele was
considered, like Mr Stuart, to be a mere boy and
not to be admitted to serious conclave alono; with
men. He recounts that "one day while Mr
Stuart was engaged building the school a proud
Ngoni addressed him as a child, contemptuously.
' Yes,' he replied, ' I am a child as you suppose,
but can your children build houses like these 1 '
The man called him no more a child but was
very respectful, and it seemed to dawn on his
mind that manhood did not consist in the pos-
session of wives and cattle but in knowledge and
wisdom."

As I can testify, the arrogance of the Ngoni
was at times hard to endure, but an incident
such as the following served to sweeten life in
his case as it had done in my own. Dr Steele
writes, "About four weeks ago I was called to
one of the chief's villages to a complicated labour
case. All went well. The gratitude of the people
seemed very sincere. The women came round
me on their knees, slowly clapping their hands

266 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and saying in a tone of great relief, ' my father,'
a term of great respect. One woman rolled her-
self on the ground at my feet, but I could stand
this no longer, and told her to rise up. I told
them all sitting round that God sent me to heal
the sick and tell them about Him. I then
doctored some twenty eye-cases and returned
home." When it is mentioned that such women
as needed assistance in maternity were accused
of foul crimes and usually consigned to the bush
to die, and their friends taken as slaves by the
husband, the gratitude of the women will be
known to have been sincere. No branch of
medical science has been more fruitful of life-
saving and of good to the helpless than that, and
all medical missionaries have found it so. The
glimpse we get of medical mission work in Dr
Steele's hands explains the attachment of the
people to him.

A time of great anxiety came upon Dr Steele
and his co-workers, Mr and Mrs M^Callum, at
Ekwendeni, when Mtwaro the chief, who was
under treatment, died. He suffered from chronic
disease of the knee joint, which I had been called
on to treat a year before. It was evident even
then that nothing but amputation could be of use
in saving his life, but as he did not submit, pallia-
tive treatment was adopted. When Dr Steele

IN MEMORUM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 267

arrived he was warned of the case, and advised
not to adopt any active treatment until he be-
came known to the people and had their con-
fidence, for, on account of their superstition, any
untoward result would be blamed against the
doctor, so the people, and not the patient only,
had to be considered. They could not realise the
seriousness of the case or understand the treat-
ment adopted, and might be incited by the
native doctors to rise against him, and so the
work be hindered. Dr Steele's treatment was
only palliative, and as it turned out, a rapid
extension of the inflammation caused death in
a few weeks. During those weeks, when the
illness of the chief made the people very ex-
cited, the cry went forth that the white man's
medicine had killed the chief. Various divining
doctors were called, the poison ordeal was gone
through with dogs and fowls, but again and
again the verdict was in favour of the doctor.
The people were, however, very excited, and in
the event of death it seemed as if trouble would
come to the Mission party. Mr and Mrs M^'Callum
were there alone, except when Dr Steele was with
them in connection with the case, and the occasion
was one of anxiety such as they only, who have
witnessed a superstitious people driven frantic by
some event, can understand. Mtwaro died, but

268 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

while he was conscious he declared his confidence
in the white men, and sought to quiet the people.
For a time all work was stopped in the district,
but the people quietened down and the work was
resumed again, the deceased chief's widows and
children coming freely to the services and school
on the station. In those days the medical
man had to contend with superstition, and
with the combination of divining and medi-
cine men who witnessed the progress of the
work and emancipation of the people from
their clutches, and were therefore too often
opposed to the Mission.

In the middle of 1891, Mr Stuart, the teacher
who was with Dr Steele at Njuyu, was transferred
to fill the breach caused by the invaliding of Rev.
Dr Henry at Livlezi station among the southern
Ngoni. In Dr Steele's letters at that time, he
writes joyfully of the extension of the preaching
work into new districts ; of his three schools and
twenty teachers, and of the services and Bible
classes. At the close of his first year he wrote
thus : " In the course of another week I will
have come to the end of my first year. It has
been full of many new experiences, and I must
say has appeared long. I am beginning now
more vividly to realise that this is now my home
than ever I did before. The reason is that until

IN ME MORI AM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 269

one gets a hold of the language you feel estranged,
but when you begin to understand them better
and speak their language, the feeling of separa-
tion begins to pass off, and one feels, as it were,
one with them." These words evidence how
truly he was ripening for the succeeding four
years of full, patient and productive service, ere
he was called to the service above.

When Mr Stuart left for Livlezi, his place at
Njuyu was taken by Mr Scott who had just joined
the Mission. In consequence of the change, Dr
Steele had all the work of the station laid on him
for a time. He had the hours of every day well
filled up by medical, evangelistic and educational
work, and had also, as so many of all classes in
Livingstonia have had to do, to lend a hand in
the brick-field, and at house and school building.
The work was in full swing when an event
happened, which a few years before would have
probably been fraught with disaster to the work.
Mombera, the chief of Ngoniland, died suddenly.
The death and burial are described so graphically
by Dr Steele that his account of it may be given
here as affording a picture of African customs in
such circumstances.

"Mombera died somewhat suddenly. I saw
him the Sabbath before, when at his village con-
ducting a service He has been chief of this

2 70 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

section of the Ngoni for many years, and his
death has therefore caused a great sensation
throughout the country. Poor Mombera ! If
he had been iuclined to know the Gospel, he
has had good opportunity for years, but he
never showed any interest in it, and died as
he had lived — a heathen.

"The people came from all parts to take part
in the mourning ceremonies. He died in Em-
pikisweni and his body was carried to his own
village, Engaraweni, where he was buried. We
left the station early in the morning and arrived
at the village about noon. On nearing the
village, many people were seen coming in com-
panies to mourn. The men all carried shields
and spears, and some had also guns. As is the
custom, the people had removed all their orna-
ments, and some had bands of grass tied round
their heads. When we entered the village, the
men who were with me stood together, and
raising their shields over their heads, began to
utter a wild continuous cry, ' Baba be ! Baba
be!' i.e. 'My father! My father!' The cry
was taken up by each new company and con-
tinued for a time when they retired to make
room for others. After this we went to the
public place — the cattle - fold — which was
crowded with men. There we waited till dark.

IN MEMORIAM: REV. GEORGE STEELE 271

The continual wail and all our surroundings
produced a strange effect on us.

" When they had consulted as to the grave
they set to work to dig it. At this stage a
sister of the late chief appeared at the grave
and began to mourn. Suddenly Mperembe,
another Ngoni chief and brother of the
deceased, sprang up and began to mourn. He
placed his hands clasped behind his head and
advanced with a dancing motion to the grave.
All the men in the cattle-fold did the same.
This went on till nightfall when the work of
digging the grave was suspended.

" Next day about ten o'clock the grave was
dug and preparations were made for the inter-
ment. All the morning, however, the late
chief's wives were engaging in a ceremonial.
Some of them carried the chiefs shields in
front of them and approached the grave mourn-
ing loudly and retiring again. All the old
women took a prominent place in the cere-
monies. Before the burial the cattle-fold was
cleared of all except married men. Just before
the corpse was brought in, the chief's wives
formed a strange procession. They crawled up
to the grave on their hands and knees in single
file, mourned for a short time, and then retired.
They were all dressed in skins and had their

2 72 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

heads covered with cloth and great bunches of
feathers.

" Some men now left to bring in the corpse.
They went towards the hut with their hands
clasped behind their heads and wailing loudly.
They returned bearing the corpse, which was
followed by a large number of women carrying
things belonging to the late chief to be put into
the grave with him. The men stood in circles
round the grave with their shields high above their
heads and wailing piteously. This continued for
a quarter of an hour, and then they gave place
to the numerous companies of young men who at
this point came in to mourn. Company after
company filed in, and for a long time this went
on. After the body was placed in the grave
the chief's pipes, pillows, etc., were put into the
grave. One grave was completely filled and
another had to be dug into which the remainder
of the chiefs personal belongings were put."

The furlough of Mr M'Callum in 1892 and my
return to be at Bandawe necessitated further
changes in the staff. Mr Stuart relieved Mr
M^Callum at Ekwendeni ; and in view of future
developments of the work, Dr Steele, accom-
panied by the late Dr Henry, made an extended
journey round the country so as to find out in
what direction our developments should be made.

IN MEMORIAM : REV. GEORGE STEELE 273

The work at the various stations was now fully
organised in open-air and school- services, day-
schools, and Bible-classes for men and women,
and its effects were seen in the changed habits
of many around the stations. At Njuyu under
Mr Scott a great advance had been made in
school-work, and singing had been greatly im-
proved by the introduction of a harmonium.
The elderly women's class, begun by Mrs
Elmslie years before, was being better attended,
and the time spent in it was bearing good
fruit — the women not only being eager to be
taught the Word more systematically, but
evincing a willingness to be taught to read
and write. At Ekwendeni, not only had the
principal people of the district been reached,
but a mighty advance had been made through
Mr M'^Callum's school, in that master and
slave had been brought together on the same
level, and the first natives on the staff there
belonged to both classes.

In 1892 Dr Steele had the joy of baptising the
first Ngoni woman, who was the fruit of the
adult women's class referred to, and eight men.
The church roll now numbered eleven adults and
four children. Two years before, the first con-
verts were baptised. But still there was much
ungodliness around the stations, and gross dark-

s

2 74 AMONG THE WILD NGONl

ness. The dry season brought together great
companies of people to drink beer, and then,
as Dr Steele wrote, war was a subject much
talked of, and several bands of reckless young
men went out, among whom were some who
were attending school and Bible class. He
wrote at this time, "But some people from
whom I expected better things are stil] remain-
ing very superstitious, and are inclined to say
hard things about us, and to treat badly those
who believe our message. Lately one of our
people was at one of the late chief's villages
some four miles from here. He was maltreated
because he affirmed that the dead would rise
again. One man got so exasperated that he
rose and left the hut. They still harbour silly
notions about us, such as that I killed Mombera,
the chief. They call me an Umtakati, i.e. a
witch, a villain who can harm people by be-
witching them. Many of the people are still
inclined for war, and this along with their
superstition and ignorance makes them disin-
clined to receive our message, and they become
jealous and envious of those who have believed
and are perhaps getting in advance of them.
Some speak well of us and of our work, and
others cast reflections on them for doing so,
and out of jealousy and spite they defame us.

IN MEMORIAM : REK GEORGE STEELE i-j^

For example, the second wife of the late chief,
of Avhom I had good hope, has disappointed me,
and because the third wife has been bravely
defending us the second has brought a charge
against her of having killed the chief. We
must have patience and live these things
down."

In 1893 Mr and Mrs M^Callum returned from
Scotland, and Dr Steele was enabled to open a
new station at Hora by locating them there.
This is the district of Mzukuzuku, a famous
general in the old Ngoni army, and the one
where the great massacre of Tumbuka took
place about 1880. For the second time Mr
and Mrs M^Callum had to begin the arduous
task of introducing the Gospel to a new region,
and although each successive year saw the
whole tribe more amenable to the Gospel, the
work was trying enough. As we now witness
at this date, the pioneering both at Ekwendeni
and at Hora was successfully accomplished, and
the developments now visible are in great mea-
sure due to the work of these two missionaries
at the commencement. As recorder of the his-
tory of the work it is my duty and pleasure
to state that.

There were no"w three stations manned by
Europeans. Comfortable brick houses w^ere

276 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

erected at each, and, as the country is healthier
than other parts of Livingstonia, the work was
vigorously pushed forward. In 1894 the num-
ber of schools had increased to nine ; special in-
struction was being given to over thirty native
teachers who were all under indenture for five
years. The Bible classes increased in number
and attendance, and the village services were
being conducted by Christian natives as well as
by Europeans. While this new district at Hora
had been opened to the work, an attempt which
was made to get into that of Mperembe, a brother
of the late chief, failed as it did on a former
occasion. But Dr Steele and his colleagues had
learned that persistency of effort in districts
open, and frequent calls upon outside parties,
would eventually win the way for the Gospel,
and the whole history of the work showed that
great patience was necessary. No district could
be taken by a rush, and so what was gained was
held by patient and persistent effort.

Here is a picture of a day's work. " You
will rejoice to know that the new bell is now
erected and doing duty. I don't spare it. Since
it was erected I have commenced a morning
service. It is rung at sunrise and we all turn
into school, i.e. Mr Scott and myself and our
eight boys, teachers, workers, and the general

IN MEMORIAM: REV. GEORGE STEELE 277

public. First a hymn is sung; then I tell the
day of the month and the text for the day which
all repeat after me several times. Selected
portions of Scripture are then read and all join
in the Lord's Prayer, after which each goes to
his work. Again at half-past seven the bell
is rung for the school and our breakfast. School
commences at eight, and this junior school is
conducted entirely by natives under Mr Scott's
superintendence. The junior school is over at
half-past nine, and the senior school for the
teachers which, till twelve o'clock, Mr Scott
and I conduct, begins. We rest till two, and
on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I have my
women's school from two till four ; on Wednes-
day and Friday the catechumens, and at five
o'clock all public work is over for the day. On
Wednesday evenings there is a prayer meeting."
The same order practically obtained at Hora
and Ekwendeni, special attention being paid to
teaching the teachers, not only for school-work
but with a view to qualify them also to become
evangelists, such work being put into their hands
whenever their consistency of character and
attainments made that advisable. In the be-
ginning of 1894 there were 760 children at-
tending the schools in the three districts.
In 1894, as the staff had been reinforced by the

278 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

arrival of the Rev. Messrs Dewar and MacAlpine,
and the settlement of the latter at Bandawe, I
was free to return to my former field in Ngoni-
land. My place, as indicated, had been ably
filled by Dr Steele, who was in charge of the
whole district. At my request he continued to
occupy my former station and to act as mission-
ary-iu-charge of the district until, a year thence,
he should leave for home. I settled at Ekwen-
deni where the first temporary house built by
Mr M^Callum had been replaced by a substantial
brick building erected by Messrs Stuart and
Murray, and relieved Mr Stuart who left on
furlough after five years splendid service. We
were then in still closer contact through our
work in Ngoniland, and had frequent intercourse
together. He again had the joy of receiving
seven more adults into the Church by baptism at
Njuyu. It was the station where the work had
been carried on for the longest period, and the
fresh baptisms were an occasion of interest far
beyond, and reacted on the other stations, so that
early in 1895 we find the Church roll increased
to 59 by further baptisms at Njuyu and Ekwen-
deni, while at Hora, the youngest of our stations,
several had already made a profession of faith
and been admitted as catechumens.

On my settlement at Ekwendeni we originated

IN MEMORIAM: REV. GEORGE STEELE 279

quarterly conferences of the workers, meeting at
the different stations in rotation. These were
occasions not only of great good to the members,
but the plans of work, reports of progress, and
discussion of difficulties, engaging our meetings,
bound us very closely together, and strengthened
our united efforts among the heathen. By hav-
ing with us Christian natives, the Church members
in the different districts were brought into closer
contact, and the work made to appear one, and
the Church one. The last year of Dr Steele's
service was very full of work, and the prospects
all round were very bright. A new development
had taken place in the end of 1894 by the arrival
of Miss Stewart, the first missionary for the
women, and she began work at Ekwendeni. At
Njuyu the special work of my wife when there
had been in part continued by Mr Stuart and Dr
Steele. At Ekwendeni and then at Hora Mrs
M'^Callum's work had made progress among the
women, and produced good results ; and now at
Ekwendeni my wife's efforts were supplemented
by Miss Stewart, and she struck out among the
wives of catechumens and converts who were not
reached by the ordinary schools. Thus the work
was going on when the last months of Dr Steele's
all too brief service had come.

In April he left to attend a Council meeting at

28o AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the newly-opened Livingstonia Training Institu-
tion. He had food with him for five days, but
as it was the rainy season and as his guides led
him by a new and untried path over rugged
mountains, they were detained, and the journey
lasted nine days. He arrived at the Institution
in an exhausted state, and we believe that in this
way his strength was undermined, and when the
last fever came he was unable to cast off its
effects.

He returned to Njuyu, and as his furlough was
due, prepared to leave for home. His last three
Sabbaths were spent at the three stations, when
he baptised forty-one adults and several children,
the results of his own and his colleagues' work.
He had sent off his boxes to the Lake and was to
follow them himself in a day or two, but fever
struck him down, and in five days, through utter
exhaustion, he fell asleep, at the age of 34, on
26th June 1895. His funeral was attended by
the whole of the Ekwendeni population, as well
as many who had come from Njuyu and Hora.
At the open grave a service was conducted.
Amid the great sorrow of his colleagues — four of
whom were present — and the great gathering of
natives, his remains were committed to the dust
among the shady trees within sound of the music
of the Lunyanga river. There was widespread

IN MEMORIAM: REV. GEORGE STEELE 281

gloom in Ngoniland. I here append the tribute
I wrote in our half-yearly report at the time of
his death, and thus close an all too imperfect
record of a noble life and a noble work.

" No one was more beloved in our Livingstonia
circle. His cheery, hopeful nature surrounded one
with an atmosphere of attraction to him, and the
deep springs of his disposition were easily touched
by distress, whether among whites or blacks.

" His five years' work in Ngoniland forms an
interesting chapter in the history of the Mission.
He arrived just as the cloud which long huug
over the work was dissipated, and the country
thrown open to the Gospel, and the first fruits
had been gathered. Speedily gaining a know-
ledge of the speech and habits of the people, he
set to work, and by close attention to schools,
which were called for by the desire for in-
struction, he saw the agency greatly extended
and made eminently successful as a nursery for
the Church.

"As an ordained missionary he gave himself
heartily to the work of strengthening and in-
structing the Church members, and of gathering
in the fruits of former sowing. As an evangelist
he was never happier than when preaching the
old Gospe], and going from village to village
with the good news. His medical work he

282 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

always looked upon as a valuable means of
bringing the people to God, and so, while main-
taining a healthy professional interest in his
" cases," he worked for the main end in all he
did, and gave his best to the work. He was
welcomed everywhere, and there are few corners
in Ngoniland where his voice has not been heard
preaching the Gospel, and his gentle hand laid
on the suffering to give health and peace.

" Besides having acquired the Ngoni language
he had made considerable additions to our
knowledge of the Tumbuka tongue by compiling
a dictionary.

" Preparing to visit Australia and Scotland, but
taken to the Father's House ! We cannot under-
stand it I But still, as when four of his colleagues
stood by the bedside and witnessed his triumph,
we preserve the feelings which filled our souls
and give God thanks for what He enabled him
to be and to do in the work in Ngoniland."

CHAPTER XIII

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS AND GROWTH OF
THE WORK

ON the death of Dr Steele several changes
which had been contemplated for some
time, were carried out in the arrangement of our
agencies in Ngoniland. We were under the
necessity of meeting a reduction of the European
staff. From the first we had proceeded upon
the plan of making use of the natives themselves
as far as their character and attainments would
allow, and had placed several of the schools in
villages around the chief stations under them.
We thus prepared the way for increasing the
responsibilities of such agents. Hitherto they
had been under almost daily supervision of a
European, but now we ventured upon placing
districts instead of schools under their charge
and withdrawing the Europeans. The experiment
was tried with our best teacher- evangelists, and,
as the sequel will show, was attended with success

in all departments of work, while, as the outcome

283

284 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

of it, we were able even to add to the number of
our scbools.

The Training Institution, under Dr Laws and
Mr James Henderson, was opened to receive
pupils in the end of 1895. We at once selected
some from the districts under natives and sent
them there for training, leaving only those who
could be satisfactorily attended to by the native
teachers, and who were required in the work
of the district. Without the opening of the
Institution it would have been impossible for us
to have carried on our stations without the usual
complement of Europeans.

Miss Stewart, who had come out as first female
teacher for the Institution, and had been tem-
porarily located at Ekwendeni for a year, was
at that time withdrawn to the Institution. She
successfully superintended the girls' schools
during her residence. On leaving for her new
work several of the more advanced girls went
with her to complete their training ; others
who were not chosen to go to the Institution
wept bitterly when Miss Stewart left. The work
among the women at Ekwendeni was again left
in my wife's hands. The requirements of the
younger girls were partly met in the junior and
senior schools, and the older womec and girls
who could not attend school were taken up by

RE-ARRj4NGEMENT of stations 285

her, as also the school girls for sewing. She also
gave additional instruction to those women who
were coming forward as candidates for baptism.
At Hora station similar work was making good
progress under Mrs M°Callum who had large
classes composed of women of all the social grades.

The most important change was made in the
staffing of Njuyu station. It had always been
worked by two Europeans, and being the oldest
station, and the arena of all the old battles, the
work there was known to have taken firm root,
and was expected to prove a suitable sphere for
our experiment. Mr Stuart, after returning
from Scotland, was resident there for a few
months, and when Mr Scott, the teacher at
Ekwendeni, left the service of the Mission to
pursue his studies in Scotland, he was withdrawn
to Ekwendeni. Mawalera Tembo was installed
at Njuyu to carry on the work of that district.

Mawalera Tembo has been a faithful worker
for many years. He was one of those who came
to our house at Njuyu under cover of night to
be taught, when we were in the early struggles
of the work, as has been already referred to.
He and his brother Makara were the first to be
baptised in 1890. His father was a witch-doctor,
and Mawalera in early years had to attend him
in the ceremonies of his practice, and become

286 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

" art and part," consciously or unconsciously,
in a practice of deceit. He is possessed of an
acute mind, and has always been observant and
thoughtful. He is well versed in native lore,
and when a little boy herding the goats in the
Lunyangwa valley witnessed the advent of Dr
Laws and Mr Stuart, and the slaughter of
natives conducted about that time by the
Chipatulas. He carries a peculiarly happy
countenance, and his merry laugh makes him
a favourite with all classes. From the first his
profession of Christianity has been frank and
powerful. Those who know him understand
how, in private discussion with the heathen, and
by personal testimony always given humbly and
with respect for his seniors, his influence has been
wide and permanently good.

Elangeni station has always been under a
native. Mawalera s brother, Makara, was placed
there by Dr Steele a year before he died. It
also was an experiment and justified itself. The
chief of the district, Maurau, is a brother of the
late Mombera, and Avhen the school was opened
in his village Makara was sent there temporarily.
So great, however, was his influence, that Maurau
requested that Makara should be sent to reside
there permanently. Ground was given for house
and gardens for the teacher, and Makara re-

RE- ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 287

moved his family and took up his residence
under Maurau, where he has conducted a most
successful educational work, and where his teach-
ing of the Word has been blessed to the conver-
sion of many. He was the means of breaking
the war-spirit in that district, and one of the first
converts was the eldest son of the chief, who
before was a notoriously passionate and cruel
man, and ruled his slaves with an iron hand.
His first act was to give his slaves their freedom,
and to pay them for the work they did on his
house and in his gardens. Nawambi, the
ferocious war-dancer who is referred to in the
chapter on William Koyi, became a new man,
although not a Christian, under Makara's in-
fluence, and a school has been carried on in his
district also by Makara.

Hora station, as has been stated in a former
chapter, was opened by Mr and Mrs M^Callum,
and on their being transferred to Mwenzo station,
the work there was also placed in the hands of a
native teacher-evangelist who had been with Mr
M^Callum both at Ekwendeni and Hora. Thus,
within a short space, we had given up two
European workers in Ngoniland and developed
native agency in the manner shown. This we
look upon as a real advance, proving both the
permanence of the work among the natives.

288 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and the possibility of speedily evangelising the
country by means of native agents. Africa
must be evangelised by the African, and al-
though our native helpers are only moderately
equipped, their work and influence serve to show
that more fully trained agents obtained through
the Training Institution, we may hope for greater
results than we now see.

In former days the Ngoni were the troublers
of their mission stations, and it is worth noticing
in connection with the transfer of Mr M^Callum
to Mwenzo, how the Ngoni in their new character
as peaceful worshippers of God were able to
render assistance to a far - distant mission.
Mwenzo station has lately been begun by Rev.
Alexander Dewar. Houses had to be erected
and the station laid out, but the natives of the
district were not eager to help in such work,
even although the presence of the Mission was
to be for their protection and benefit. They
belong to the Nyamwanga tribe which was
formerly harassed by the Ngoni, many members
of the tribe having been carried captive to
Ngoniland. The advent of Mr and Mrs M^Callum
with a band of loyal Ngoni, some of whom were
Church members and catechumens, was most
opportune. The Ngoni were known to the
Mwenzo people only as cruel warriors, constantly

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 289

raiding their neighbours, but now they Scaw them
in their midst with the implements of peaceful
labour in their hands, and the Word of God in
their hearts, and on their tongues. They aided
in the work which the Mwenzo people declined
to do, and at the same time by life and word,
proclaimed the reason of the change in their
manner of life. The effect of this has been very
great and a valuable object-lesson in that new
district, saving years of toil before the people
could understand fully the meaning or fruits of
the Gospel. Mr M^Callum continued his teach-
ing, and had the joy of seeing several of those
who had gone with him admitted into the visible
church by baptism, some time after he settled
there. Thus the trial of having, for the third
time, to relinquish an organized station and
submit to the hardships and difficulties of pioneer
work, was in some measure rewarded.

For several months in 1896 we were in con-
siderable anxiety in connection with a threatened
collision between the British Commissioner and
the Ngoni. As recorded, Mombera, the paramount
chief, had died, and for some years the tribe was
ruled in sections by the head-men or sub-chiefs.
The old desire of Ng'onomo to increase his power
and attain to the chieftainship was revived. In
his district, and that of Mperembe, we had made

T

290 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

frequent efforts to be allowed to begin work but
without success. We were hopeful that in all
the other districts the influence of the Gospel
was such that war was for ever at an end, and
now our hopes were to be tested by months of
turmoil and excitement. The Mission had been
the only outside influence acting in Ngoniland,
and no Government agent had visited the Ngoni
ofiicially since the British Consul saw Mombera
in 1885 when friendly greetings were exchanged.
Over all the surrounding tribes in the Protector-
ate, the Government had exercised its jurisdiction,
and as Mperembe and Ng'onomo had not given
up war and raiding, they spread the report that
the Ngoni were being left alone because the
Government was not strong enough to meddle
with them. In this way they strove to revive
the old war-spirit throughout the country, and
of course our work, and especially our native
helpers, came in for adverse criticism. The
Evangelists in charge of districts had much to
bear, but the Christians rallied to their support,
and by calm and judicious behaviour they
quieted many a turmoil and saved their work.

When the country was in that state, an event
occurred which threatened the peace with the
British Administration and gave us much trouble.
The district of Kasungu, lying to the south of

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 291

Ngoniland, had been the scene of a conflict be-
tween the Commissioner's forces and the natives
there. Chibisa, the chief, made his escape when
his town was taken, and came to Ng'onomo as
a refugee. As soon as we knew it we tried to
persuade Ng'onomo to drive him away, lest
trouble should come upon himself. Chibisa
pretended to have a considerable army at his
command, and tried to incite Ng'onomo and
Mperembe to join him in an attack upon the
British at Kasungu, where the latter had estab-
lished a fort. Mr Swann, the Government agent
at Kotakota, instead of pursuing Chibisa with
an armed force, very judiciously sent policemen
with a letter to us requesting Ng'onomo to hand
over Chibisa to them. Ng'onomo refused. Mr
Swann's intimate knowledge of African natives
made him alive to the danger from the native
police, who have too often overridden their
commissions and become breakers rather than
guardians of the peace, and the delicate business
he had in hand with such a man as Ng'onomo.
He had no desire to induce a rupture with
Ng'onomo, and wrote : " The police have orders
to obey the missionaries, and to come back if
the chiefs allow Chibisa to escape or refuse to
arrest him. They are in no case to do anything
but visit the chiefs, take the man from them,

292 AMONG THE WILD NGONl

and return." Chibisa subsequently, in alarm,
fled to Mpezeni, another Ngoni chief (mentioned
in the first chapter), living nine or ten days'
distant to the south-west. As Mr Swann's letter
was addressed to the Ngoni chiefs and required
their answer, we convened meetings in different
districts to discuss the situation. We pointed
out to them that unless they made their position
clear, they might all be involved in trouble with
the Commissioner. All, save Mperembe, from
the first denounced Ng'onomo for receiving
Chibisa, and frequently requested us to head
a war-party to go and compel him to deliver
him up. The result of our meetings was, that
the chiefs wrote to the Commissioner saying
that since Mombera died there had been no
paramount chief, and each had been simply
ruling his own district as before, and could not
be held responsible for Ng'onomo's conduct, as
he was not under either of them, and they did
not sympathise with his action, but desired to
live in peace with the British. Even Mperembe
began to see the inadvisability of continuing in
the compact with Ng'onomo, and he also sent
a letter to the Commissioner.

After Chibisa's flight messengers came from
Mpezeni calling the Ngoni to rise with him
and Chibisa against the British. Ng'onomo was

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 293

the only cbief who could be found to favour
the exploit. Many old men had been eager to
accept the invitation, but at the meetings held
to discuss the matter, the young men, and those
who had been the flower of the armies, rose as
one man against the proposal to engage in war.
Several hundreds were assembled, some carrying
arms, but the result of the meeting was the
entire defeat of the advocates of war. The
young men spoke calmly and forcibly, with
every respect shown to their seniors, but they
were firm in their position. The young chief
of Elangeni and his cousin from Ekwendeni
recalled how the Gospel had come to them,
and how the chiefs and head-men had for long
hindered the work, until in this matter they as
a tribe were left far behind other tribes. The
age of war, they declared, must now be con-
sidered as dead. They said they had no desire
to point the finger of scorn at their seniors, but
they had apprehended a more excellent way and
were to stand firm in it, and refuse to take the
spear again. It was thus demonstrated to the
old men that their voice was no longer a power
in the tribe. As we witnessed their discomfiture,
we remembered the time when some of the
notables there had declared that if we got liberty
to preach and teach in the tribe, we would steal

294 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

the hearts of their people. The result they had
feared they now witnessed. Years before this
occurred, another similar incident was witnessed
at Ekwendeni by Mr Stuart. On a Sunday a
gathering of men was convened in the chief's
village to plan a raid on a neighbouring tribe.
When the hour for service came very few people
turned out. The teachers went to the village and
rang the bell. All the young men who had been
summoned to hear the plans for war, rose up and
left in a body to attend the service. The old
men were left alone, and the war proposals fell to
the ground in consequence.

When the excitement of the foregoing events
died away, there was an increase of interest in
our work. The teachers who had been persecuted
were reinstated in public favour, and except for
Ng'onomo we were on friendly terms with all
sections of the tribe, as we now had had more
cordial communications with Mperembe. The
popularity of our work increased, and the services
were more largely attended, while schools were de-
sired in places where we had none. The Chris-
tian community was consolidated by means of the
trial, and their influence deepened and extended.

In April 1896 Sir Harry Johnston, the Com-
missioner for British Central Africa, wrote to us
as follows : " You will observe that in the new

RE- ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 295

Eegulations extending the Hut Tax to all parts
of the Protectorate, I have exempted only one
district, viz., that portion of the West Nyasa
District which is occupied by the Northern Ngoni.
My reasons for doing so are these : — Hitherto
the Ngoni chiefs have shown themselves capable
of managing the affairs of their own country
without compelling the interference of the Ad-
ministration of the Protectorate. They have
maintained a friendly attitude towards the
English and have allowed us to travel and
settle unhindered in and through their country.
As long, therefore, as the Northern Ngoni
continue this line of conduct and give us no
cause for interference in their internal affairs,
so long, I trust, they may remain exempt from
taxation as they will put us to no expense."
The Ngoni remain to this day the only tribe
not under the direct jurisdiction of the British
Government. They are, however, no less helpful
than others in the great task of the redemp-
tion of Africa, which is now so successfully
guided by the Administration of the Pro-
tectorate as the temporal head. Apart from
labour given at mission stations, many hundreds
of men go every year to the coffee plantations of
the Shire Highlands, and to the trading corpora-
tions at work in various parts of the country,

296 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

where they prove steady and successful labourers,
without whom, and others, the commercial in-
terests could not prosper. But let us not forget
that all has come about through the preaching
of the Gospel of Christ.

How deeply the Christian element has become
fixed in the tribe was shown at the placing of a
paramount chief in room of the late Mombera in
1897. When the Ngoni found themselves face
to face with the British Administration, and
realised the need for a chief, they proceeded to
elect one. To this ceremony all sections of the
tribe came. Mperembe, because he himself de-
sired the chieftainship, had delayed the event,
but he now took an active part in furthering the
appointment of Mbalekelwa the eldest son of
Mombera. He sent for Mawalera Tembo at
Njuyu, and desired him to remain throughout
the ceremony, as they did not wish to do any-
thing wrong. It might be said that our teacher-
evangelist was the most important individual
there, as he was consulted on every point. He
turned the occasion to good account by con-
ducting religious worship, and subsequently
addressing the assembly on the foundation of
good citizenship and good government, charging
the chief to rule his people by the Word of God,
and for ever sheath the sword of his fathers.

RE- ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 297

But the occasion was not to pass without an
attempt being made by Ng'onomo to raise the
war spirit. By violent speeches and war-dances
he called them to observe the customary duty in
placing a new chief, viz., to send out an army
" to wash their spears in blood." Mawalera and
the other teachers were assaulted with oppro-
brious names. They stood their ground and
were supported by most of those assembled, and
eventually the ceremonies ended quietly and
happily. Mperembe, in the dim light of his new
thoughts of the Gospel, offered a sacrifice to Mom-
bera's spirit, praying him to remember the mission-
aries when they taught God's Word to the people !
It was a time of great rejoicing, and one of the
first acts of the chief was to signalize his acces-
sion to the throne by requesting that schools be
established in his villages, and he himself desired
to become a pupil of the teacher who was sent.
At the same time a sub-chief in the Ekwendeni
district had to be appointed in room of the late
Mtwaro, who died some years before Mombera
his brother. The reason for delay in this case
was the confirmed objection to the son of
Mtwaro, as he was a teacher in the Mission
and a Church member. But God, who worked
in all that was taking place, gave us the joy
of seeing the people, of their own free will,

298 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

choose and appoint Amon Jere, not only a
Church member and teacher, but an ordained
elder in the Church, to be his father's successor.
At the same time Yohane Jere, the elder brother
of Amon, was elected to the important oflSce of
" Father or adviser of the chiefs," so that while
we never interfered with their tribal affairs, or put
forward any of our pupils to positions of honour,
our work was recognised in these important events.
Just before our departure on furlough in
1887, we welcomed as colleague the Rev.
Donald Fraser, widely known in connection with
the Student Volunteer Missionary Movement.
His introduction to the work was at a time
when it was at the height of the flood. The
schools had been successful, the teacher-evangel-
ists had been active in diffusing scriptural
knowledge, and we had come to a reaping time.
At Ekwendeni, where the Europeans were
located, thirteen men, seven women, and nine
children, were baptized on one Sabbath, while
many more were admitted to the catechumen's
class. On another Sabbath Mr Fraser went
with me to Hora station, where five men, one
woman, and four children were baptised, and
about forty admitted as catechumens. But the
blessing was not confined to stations where
Europeans were working, for at Njuyu and

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 299

Elangeni, as at Hora, where our native assistants
were located, there was a season of rejoicing as an
abundant harvest was reaped on two other Sab-
baths. I quote the account given by Mr Stuart
who accompanied Mr Fraser to those places.

" On a recent Saturday we left Ekwendeni
"and spent the Sabbath at Elangeni. Ten young
men, who had been examined at Ekwendeni and
given satisfactory evidence of their faith, were
admitted. As it was the first service of the kind
ever held in the district, a great crowd of people
turned out to witness this, to them, strange cere-
mony. The young son of their chief was among
those baptized.

"In the afternoon we had a quiet little gather-
ing, when sixteen of us sat down at the Lord's
Table. Makara took part in this service, giving a
very efifective address on the love of God in send-
ing the good news of the Gospel to the Ngoni.

" The following Sunday we spent at Njuyu.
For a long time past a quiet work of grace has
been going on here, the extent of it only now
becoming apparent. We arrived on Friday after-
noon. We saw as many as we could that night,
and on Saturday we were in a state of siege
nearly all day. Fifty-one persons altogether
were examined, and out of these forty-four —
twenty-two men and twenty-two women — were

300 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

held by the Church as fit for baptism. Most
of these have been for years connected with the
Mission. Some of them received their first in-
struction in school ; some are the wives of
teachers, and have been taught by their hus-
bands. One old widow is the mother of a
teacher. Another woman is the mother of one
of the late Dr Steele's personal boys, a boy
who is now being educated at the Livingstonia
Institution. The father, in this case, is still
a heathen. One young man, a rescued slave,
was long ago the servant of the late Mr James
Sutherland. Some are husbands of heathen
wives, and others wives of heathen husbands,
and in not a few cases both the husband and
wife were admitted. Some of them in their
answers to the questions put to them showed
a wonderful knowledge of divine things.
Others again were, according to our ideas of
knowledge, very ignorant ; but they all knew
that Jesus Christ died to save them, and are
trusting in Him to break the power of sin in
their hearts. Mawalera, whom they all look
upon as their spiritual guide, had seen them all
previously, they having come to him of their
own accord, and he was therefore able to give
us information about them. We, of course,
could only see to their knowledge, and had to

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 301

depend largely on the Churcli as to whether or
not their lives were consistent with their pro-
fession. They are so closely associated together
in their village life that every native knows the
kind of life his neighbour leads, and one or two
whom we thought right, as far as knowledge
went, were rejected by the Church on account
of their inconsistent lives. Polygamy and beer-
drinking are the two great evils. The former
and drunkenness have always excluded from
membership, but total abstinence was not always
a sine qua non. Now, however, the Church at
Njuyu, having realised the dangers of example,
has resolved to eschew the beer entirely. Comino-
thus from themselves, it is far better than if it
had come from us. Preformation and not revolu-
tion will make them intelligent Christians.

" The Sabbath was a great day, and will long
be remembered in the history of the Church at
Njuyu. In the forenoon we had the baptismal
service, and also the ordination of four elders,
the first to be set apart at Njuyu for the office
— Mawalera, Makara, and two others having
been chosen by the Church. The choice shows
the sound sense of the members.

"During the afternoon we observed the Com-
munion, when about eighty of us partook of the
Lord's Supper. The service was most impres-

302 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

sive ; simple, perhaps, there being an absence of
fine surroundings and priestly garments, and the
people, most of them, rude and ignorant. The
worshippers, at least, were devout and earnest.
At this service Mawalera delivered a most im-
pressive address, when one woman could not
help interjecting a remark by way of emphasis.
The brotherliness existing between the , Church
members and the heartiness manifested at all the
services were marked. Mawelera has an important
work before him in teaching these converts, but
we have confidence in him. ' The Lord hath done
great things for us ; whereof we are glad.' "

Thus on four successive Sabbaths in Ngoniland,
eighty adults were admitted to the membership
of the Church, while several hundreds on profes-
sion of their faith were enrolled as catechumens.

Under Mr Fraser and Mr Stuart with their
native helpers, the work has been greatly ex-
tended and blessed since then. They have
recently 'had the satisfaction of seeing the last
of the doors in Ngoniland opened to the work
of the Mission. That arch-enemy of peace,
Ng'onomo, has signified his change by receiv-
ing teachers, and Mperembe too has not only
received teachers, but has become a liberal
supporter of the work by gifts of stock at
the monthly collections. Owing to the spread-

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 303

ing out of the villages and removals to new
ground, the number of the schools has been
increased, so that sometimes as many as four
thousand scholars are under instruction, and
now school fees are being charged. Ten years
before, our first school with twenty-two scholars
was opened. Although that may for a time
diminish the attendance, the wisdom of the
step will be seen. The minimum of attain-
ment with which we are satisfied in the case
of most of those attending, is that they leave
the school able to read the Word of God for
themselves, and possessing a copy of it. While
thousands of copies of school books have been
bought by the people, there is a widespread
desire to possess the Scriptures. Hundreds of
Zulu Bibles, Testaments and single gospels,
hymn-books and catechisms, have been sold,
amounting to a large sum. The people who
were wont to steal rather than work to acquire
anything, now give a month's labour for a
copy of the Bible, or a fortnight's for a copy
of the New Testament. Men with the marks
of old battles on their bodies, may be seen
earnestly labouring at what once was con-
sidered ignoble work, in order to own a copy
of the precious Word of God.

The liberality of the Christians is remarkable.

304 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

There is little trading with outsiders in Ngoni-
land, and their means of acquiring wealth, with
wages at a penny a day, are small, yet the value
of several pounds is frequently given as a church-
door collection. Besides this the people are under-
taking the support of schools for their children,
and altogether it is seen to be true as Mr Fraser
wrote some months ago, " The work here has
entered on a new chapter." In another letter
he says on this point, " The monthly collections
are moving on apace. Mr Stuart and I have
turned into grain and iron merchants, and our
back-yards are huge poultry establishments.
Mr Stuart takes fowls for books, and about
120 fowls were received last week alone. The
Sunday collections are a rare sight. No less
than 150 carriers brought in the offerings from
the out- stations. My house and verandah are
packed with the produce, and the baskets, and
the hoes, and the beads which the people gave.
Two bulls, a cow, and two goats which were
contributed were bought up at once. Every
month sees a visible increase in the liberality
of the people. Then as to books. I fancy
that at this station alone quite 1000 volumes
have been sold in the last eight months."

At the Communion Service held at Ekwendeni
in May 1898, to which the following accounts

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS

305

refer, the offering of the people for the service of
God was as follows : —

Money, £1, 8s. Ofd. 2 Goats.

11 Knives. 105 lbs. Beans.

14 earthenware pots. 97 lbs. Flour.

16 Baskets. 233 lbs. Maize.

1 Mat. 34 lbs. Potatoes.
67 Fowls. 62 lbs. Pumpkins.

2 Sheep. 3 lbs. 6 oz. Beads.
The total value, not including European

contributions, was £3, 3s. 5|d.

An intelligent young man of the tribe of
Tonga, describing the services to a companion,
said he stood at Ekwendeni and saw band after
band coming over the distant ridges, and steadily
marching towards the Mission station, where they
were gladly received by the Christians, and taken
away to the villages to be entertained. The vil-
lages were crowded with guests, men in some,
women in others, and there seemed room for
no more. Still, however, other bands appeared
on the horizon, and as they arrived, the warmth
of Christian feeling made elastic the possibilities
of hospitality. " As I saw this," he said, " I
marvelled." " Then the services, where, with
an elder or other leading Christian, small com-
panies gathered by themselves for prayer, and
many were melted to tears — as I saw these I

u

3o6 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

greatly marvelled." '* Then at the baptismal
service, as I saw those who were to be baptised
coming forward one by one, and receiving the
rite until Mr Fraser's arm grew tired, and he
sat down, and Mr Henderson continued in his
place ; as I saw men with scars of spears and
clubs and bullets on them ; and as I saw
Impangela, the widow of Chipatula, baptized,
I marvelled exceedingly. I said in my heart,
' Can these be the Ngoni submitting to God,
the Ngoni who used to murder us, the Ngoni
who killed the Henga, the Bisa, and other
tribes ? ' And then at the Lord's Table, to see
these people sitting there in the still quiet of
God's presence, my heart was full of wonder at
the great things God had done."

The Kev. James Henderson, of the Training
Institution, has, on request, furnished the fol-
lowing account of the Communion Season at
Ekwendeni : —

" I was travelling up the Lake shore on my
way back to Livingstonia after conducting the
Sacramental Services at Bandawe, when I got a
letter from Mr Donald Fraser, asking me to turn
aside and go up to Ekwendeni to assist him with
the Sacraments there. I had left Livingstonia
for the work at Bandawe on the day when the
schools were closed, and now there was little more

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 307

than a fortnight remaining of the vacation, and
the work for the new session was all to be pre-
pared. With the heat and the rain, the fever,
the trudging through the loose sand, the constant
moving from place to place, and especially after
the excitement and strain of the last great week
at Bandawe, I was as tired as could be, and my
inclination was to pass on and choose the first
deserted bay for a camp, where, for a few days,
I might cease to be a missionary or any other
sort of thinking animal. But Saturday afternoon
found us striking inland across the mountains
for Ekwendeni, and spending Sunday among the
Tumbuka people on the uplands. I reached the
station on Monday evening. I can never be too
thankful that I did not miss seeing, and that I
was privileged to take some small part in, this
remarkable sacramental gathering.

" The meetings were to begin in the week after
I arrived. Mr Fraser had decided to have things
very much on the general lines they used to fol-
low at a Communion Season in the Scottish
Highlands. The examination of catechumens
seeking to go forward to baptism was finished,
and it was known how unprecedentedly large
was the number to be admitted. It was felt on
all hands that this would be a great opportunity
for reaching the hearts of those that had hitherto

3o8 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

held aloof. For some time the native Christians
had been assembling daily for prayer, and now
they were looking forward to a time of great
spiritual awakening and quickening. The mis-
sionaries were expecting more than that. It
would be a gathering of the whole Christian
Church of the tribe, and the missionaries trusted
that the Church as a body might be led to make
a further forward step in spiritual experience.
They looked away to the untouched regions
beyond, and they were praying for an outpour-
ing of the Spirit that there might be fuller
consecration to the Lord, and new devotion
and enthusiasm for His service.

*' Of course there was no building at all
adequate for the expected congregations. A
temporarary open-air church had to be set up.
That is not difficult in Africa. Posts, split
branches, and the strong, tall grass, provided a
screened enclosure — protection from the wind is
what is required — and some bricks and a few
planks make all that is needed for a platform.
Seats can be dispensed with on such occasions.
They are ornamental rather than necessary.

" On Monday the people began to assemble.
The first - comers were from Mperembe's, the
raiding chief who had only very lately received
teachers. They had brought a contribution in

RE-ARRANGEMENT OF STATIONS 309

the shape of a sheep and a goat from the chief
himself, and their appearance was a picture of
Mperembe's attitude to the Mission. They were
evidently intended to make up by numbers what
they lacked in age and status, and were altogether
a non-committal deputation, raw and rustic, and
a good deal ' out of it ' when the other peoples
gathered. By Tuesday evening the footpaths
were full. Whole families were coming, the
mothers and daughters carrying cooking-pots
on their heads and bags of flour, the men with
strings of maize cobs on their shoulders and other
produce of their gardens for the ' collection,'
and often a tired child on their backs. Most of
them were dressed in snowy white calico. They
travelled silently ; and the people in the heathen
villages by the way climbed up the ant-hills to
look at them, and called, so they told us, ' What
has happened \ What impi is after you ? ' Past
the old houses of the first Ekwendeni station,
across the rising ground, we could see them com-
ing in a long straggling Indian file, which changed
into solid masses as they crossed the river and
came up the Mission road. It was then that I
realised the nature of the work that was being
done among the tribe. The swinging pace could
not be mistaken, even before the individuals could
be seen. It was the fighting men, the men in

3IO AMONG THE WILD NGONl

the prime of their strength that the Gospel had
laid hold of. A fitter-looking set of men and
women it would be hard to find anywhere. What
a promise they are of the speedy coming of the
Kingdom of Christ in that land. All Wednesday
forenoon they streamed in, people that had come
from far, and slept one or two nights on the way.

" The enclosure was intended to hold somewhat
over a thousand, but it was soon evident that an
extension of it had to be made. The ' hospitality
committee,' the directors of which were the two
local chiefs, Yohane and Amon, had their re-
sources taxed to the utmost. Every hut in the
neighbouring villages was taken over by them,
and when these were filled they made use of the
cattle kraals. There was no trouble made about it.
I heard that when Yohane was asked first how
many people he could accommodate, he thought
he might manage with a hundred, but when the
need arose he himself arranged for over a thousand.

•' On Wednesday at mid-day the first meeting
was held. Well on to 3000 people were present.
They had taken their places many of them long
before the hour, and when we went down they
were singing a hymn. Exuberance of spirits is
the characteristic of this Church, and the singing
is something always to be remembered, but the
meeting had not gone far on before it became

RE-ARRJNGEMENT OF STATIONS 311

clear that it was not the familiar mood of the
people that had to be dealt with. They were so
bent on hearing that they altogether forgot their
correct listening manners, somewhat ostentatious
in attention, and sat up, looking straight at the
speaker. They had evidently made up their
minds that they were to learn something. The
solemnity of the consciousness of the presence
of the Lord seemed to creep over the whole
assembly. I confess that as I sat and listened,
while Mr Fraser and Mr Stuart addressed the
people, touching them and swaying them with
their words, something like fear came over me,
and I doubted whereunto this would grow.
Would excitement seize the people, and could
it be controlled ? That day I prayed far more
that no evil might befall the gathering than that
good might come. But my fear was foolish.
The thing was of the Lord. It was in His hands.
'' Most of the addresses were intended for the
believers, and dealt much with heart-sinfulness.
The touch-stone of self-examination proposed was
conscious daily communion with the living Christ.
The addresses were pointedly practical, calling
for definite acts of self-surrender to the Lord.
Men and women were entreated to deal with
their Saviour about the things which they found
standing between Him and them. The person

312 AMONG THE WILD NGONI

and work of the Holy Spirit were brought
prominently forward.

" The opening day, as might be expected, was
one of perplexity. The Christians had thought,
perhaps, that the meetings were intended almost
wholly for those outside, and they found that it
was themselves that were addressed. Their self-
examination brought with it sorrow and humilia-
tion. The meetings after that took a new tone.
There was more stillness and less self-certainty.
The Christians were seeking God again, and
striving with the chains of self and the world.

" One night the teachers asked Mr Fraser and
myself to meet with them in the house where
they were staying to explain to them difficulties,
mostly with reference to the work of the Spirit,
which were troubling them. Mr Fraser had been
with them alone the previous night. We sat
on the ground along the walls, dim fires burn-
ing on the floor down the middle of the long
building. There was no formal teaching or
speaking. In the semi-darkness the men talked
with the utmost frankness ; and there was a
time of confession and prayer. Several of the
older men gave signs of having been brought
very near to God. Coming outside we found
the air full of hymns. A tropical moon was
full in the sky, and in the villages all around
the people were met out of doors singing, and as

RE-JRRJNGEMENT OF STATIONS 3 1 3

the soft breeze rose and fell the words were borne
to our ears. The Evening Prayers were long over ;
but the hearts of the people were too full for rest.
" In the middle of Friday night an incident
occurred which might have been attended with
evil consequences among a people naturally
superstitious. A little child, brought by its
parents to be baptised, they themselves also
being at the same time admitted into the
Church, was taken ill ; the journey had been
too much for it. They came with it to us for
treatment, when it was far too late, and as we
were looking at it, it died. It was a heavy
trial to them. I think it was their only child.
They were away from home and none of the
usual customs of honouring the dead could be
observed. But they took the situation bravely.
They made no noisy lamentation. All night
they sat alone beside the little body in one of
the Mission rooms, and, when the morning
Prayer Meeting was over, with a company of
friends they carried it forth to burial. It was
laid in the little plot where the remains of
Dr Steele lie at rest. And the great congre-
gation looked down the slope, and many of
them wondered for they were seeing a Christian
burial for the first time. We were singing a
hymn. There was no wild weeping and wail-
ing. And from the side of the grave were

3H

AMONG THE WILD NGONI

borne to them the triumphant words in which
the Christian proclaims his faith in the resur-
rection, ' Death is swallowed up in victory.
0 death where is thy sting? 0 grave where
is thy victory? . . . Thanks be to God which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.' God made death even to work for our
good. It was a lesson without which the other
teaching would have hardly been complete.

"The second service of Saturday was the
meeting in which most interest centred. The
congregation, which had been growing larger
every day, was now almost at its greatest.
Every corner of the enclosure was filled. In
the centre sat the men and women to be bap-
tised. The native elders arranged them accord-
ing to their districts. They were in all 195
adults. Again I was struck with their appear-
ance. They were the pick of the people in the
prime of life. Such a sight was never before
seen among us, and rarely in the whole history
of the spread of our Faith. Oftener than once
the head that was bowed before us, as they
came forward to receive the rite, was scarred
with an old wound ; for several of those bap-
tised had taken part in the very last raid of
this section of their tribe. It was a wonderful
day of ingathering that we were privileged to
see, and we were but lately come into the field.

RE-ARRJNGEMENT OF STATIONS 315

Some of the early sowers could only hear tell
of it, and others — Koyi, Sutherland and Steele
— were with their God. The day was of the
Lord. We were as onlookers upon His doings.
It was natural that He should do great things.
"The celebration of the Lord's Supper was
held upon the Sabbath forenoon, when the congre-
gation amounted to nearly 4000. The enclosure
was packed to its utmost capacity. On a large
ant-hill outside a crowd of curious sight-seers
assembled, grey-bearded old men, Zulu nclunas
with the ring of hair crowns, and skin - clad
heathen from the remoter villages, and around
the fence stood hundreds of miserable - lookinof
Tumbuka women, craning red-ochred heads over
the grass to watch the proceedings. The addresses
were calls to action. If the Lord had done any-
thing for His people in the course of the meetings
they were now to let it appear in the vows which
they renewed before Him. Seated in rows in
front and on each side of the platform the Church
members formed a large body, but the greater mass
of the people was still beyond the separating
space. What was true of this assembly was
true, on a greater scale of disproportion, of the
land. The Gospel had as yet come only to the
few, and the few must bear it to the many. The
King was present at His feast, and He was enter-
ing into the full possession of many subjects. In

3i6 JMONG THE WILD NGONI

His presence anxiety was giving way to peace.
In His keeping the future could be faced with
joy. Never was such a collection taken in the
land before, A heap of Indian corn nearly breast
high all but blocked the side entrances. They
had given of all kinds of their possessions,
money, beads, rings, bracelets, knives, hoes, axes,
pots, baskets, mats, pumpkins, millet, beans,
potatoes, fowls, sheep, goats, and cattle.

" In the afternoon the children were brought for
baptism, 89 in all, thus making a total of 284
souls received at the one time into the Church.

" The feast was now over ; the time for work
had come. At dawn the next morning we met
for the last time to give thanks. By mid-day
we were scattered along every outward path,
and some knew that they were not, and might
never more, be alone, for they had learned to
walk in conscious fellowship with the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit."

"It is the Lord's doing and is wondrous in
our eyes.

'* Amen : Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."

INDEX

Adultery, 115.

Africa and the Africans, 288.

Agriculture, 41, 211.

Aitken, J. & G., 260.

Albert Namalambe, 102, 196.

Amadhlozi, 68.

Amaduna, 120.

Amadum, 68.

Amatetwa, 14.

Ammoma, 229.

Amon Jere, 298.

Ancestor worship, 162.

AnthUls, 32.

Anthropological Institute, 215.

Augustine, 134.

Bandawe, 80, 98, 193, 211, 245.

Bangweolo Lake, 79.

Bantu Tribes, 70.

Baptismal Service, 306.

Basel Mission, 19.

Bechuanas, 21.

Bede, 124.

Beer, 41, 110, 144, 301.

Begging by Natives, 138, 217.

Bible, The, 119, 176, 225, 303.

Bisa, 78.

Books sold, 304.

British Central Africa, 16, 290.

Government, 106.

Buchanan Institution, 254.
Burial of a Chief, 269.

of a Missionary, 280.

of a Child, 313.

Burton, R., 104.

Cassava, 84.

Cattle. 49.

Cave-dwellers, 85.

Chaka, 14, 19.

Chameleon, 70,

Chewa, 78.

Chibisa, 291.

Chikoko, 99.

Children, 150, 200, 313.

Chinde, Mombera's son, 53.

Chinombos, 53.

Chintechi, 101.

Chinyera, 174, 251.

Chipatula, 91, 142.

Chirombo, 226.

Chisevi, 93, 141.

Chitezi, 160.

Chiuta, 68.

Chiwere, 28.

Church of the Ngoni, 307.

Coffee, 295.

Communion service, 301, 304, 306.

Consecration, 220, 311.

Contracts for work, 230.

Converts, the first, 163.

Crowning warriors, 197.

Dancing, 45, 195.

Dead, the, 71.

Dewar, A., 278, 288.

Dingiswayo, 14, 29.

Edinburgh University, 210.

Ekwendeni, 132, 261, 293.

Elangeni, 286, 293.

Elmslie, Mrs, 231, 273, 279.

Ethelbert, 124.

Famine, 168.

Farewell, missionary, 30.

Fever, 167, 212.

Fipa, 25.

Florence Bay, 86.

Eraser, Donald, 52, 298.

Free Church of Scotland, 77.

Fuka, 103.

Fynn, missionary, 30.

Gazaland, 20.

Glasgow University, 254.

Medical Mission, 258.

Free St James's Church, 259.

Gungunhana, 20.
Gwangwara, 28.
Hades, 73, 226.
Harrison, F., 75.
Harvest, 178, 185.
Health of Africans, 45.
Henderson, James, 284, 306.
Henga, 78.
Henry, Dr, 268.
Highlands, Scottish, 228.
Hoho, 148.

Holiness to the Lord, 215.
Hora, 52, 93, 275.
Horses, 159.
Impangela, 306.
Indabas, 37.

Industrial work, 214, 230.
Injomane, 141, 145.
Insects, 38.

Worship, 73.

Isaacs, missionary, 30.

Itshanusi, 60.

Johnston, Sir H., 294.

Kafir Bible, 95.

Kaning'ina, Mount, 91.

Karanga tribe, 19.

Karonga port, 82, 192.

Kasungu, 290.

Kayune, 82.

Kotakota, 28.

Koyi, WilUam, 91, 102, 112, 180, 188.

Kraals, 120, 165.

Kwakwa river, 260.

Laws, Dr, 77, 83,92,118,192,211,235,242.

3»7

3i8

INDEX

Laws, Mrs, 199.

Liberality of converts, 304, 309.

Lions, 74.

Livingstone, David, 79, 233, 256.

Livingstonia Mission, 76, 103, 135.

Training Institution, 86, 280.

Livlezi, 268.

Loangvea, 23.

Lobengula, 22.

Lovedale, 188.

Lowawa, 18.

MacAlpine, a. G., 278.

Mackay, A. M., 138.

Maclear, Cape, 76.

Macphail, Dr, 257.

M'Callum,P.,MrandMrs,158,266,279.

M'lntyre, missionary, 232.

Makara, 252, 301.

Makololo, 105.

Manchewe, 86.

Mandala, 156.

Mang'anja, 106.

Mankambera, 101.

Marenga, 84.

Marriage, 186, 265.

Matabele, 13, 22.

Matshulu, 24.

Maviti, 25.

Mawalera, first convert, 155, 160, 252,

301.
Mbaiekelwa, 296.
Medical Mission Work, 61, 83, 127,

150, 184, 234, 240, 248.
Men in Central Africa, 48.
Meteorology, 169.
Mfumu, 201.

Missionary's three gifts, 137.
Mission houses, 36, 214.
Missions, Christian, 28, 147, 301.

Critics of, 69, 222.

Life, 164, 186, 219, 247, 250, 264, 277,

306.
Moffat, Dr, 11, 94.
Moir, John, 89, 1.33, 185.
Mombera, 19, 27, 93, 108, 269.
Moody the Evangelist, 210, 255.
Mperembe, 28, 296.
Mpereni, 28, 292.
Mponda, 106.
Mtwaro, 27, 247, 297.
Muave, 62.
Murray, W., 278.
Mwenzo, 287.
Natal, 13.
Nature-peoples, 118.
Nawambi, 198, 287.
Ngoni, 13, 23, 26, 79, 82, 196, 212, 238,

295.

Village Life, 33.

Religious beliefs, 35.

First convert woman, 273.

Ngoniland, 31, 77, 107.

for Christ, 103, 316.

Ng'onomo, 121, 249, 302,
Njuyu, 140, 164, 213, 262,

Nkonde, 79.

Noluju, 16.

Nqaba, 19.

Nyamwanga, 78, 288.

Nyasa Lake, 31, 76.

Nyika, 78, 86.

Obscene customs, 57.

Obstetrics, 266.

Ordeals, 62, 117, 200.

Photography, 71.

Poison ordeal, 62.

Polygamy, 42, 57, 114.

Port Elizabeth, 188.

Portuguese, 13, 29, 260.

Positivists, 75.

Prayer, 126, 164.

Preaching, 69, 74, 311.

Prentice, Dr, 89.

Presents, 130, 138.

QUILIMANE, 104, 260.

Rain, 168, 173, 177.

ReUgioua Nature, 66.

Robarti, 197.

RoUo, George, 156.

Royal Geographical Society, 77.

Rukuru, 25.

Sacrifices 73

Schools, 186! 207, 229, 277, 297, 303.

Scottish Colleges, 256.

Highlands, 307.

Scott, G., 269.

Senga, 22.

Senzangakona, 13.

Sewing Machine, 116.

Shire Highlands, 295.

Singing of Natives, 310.

Slavery, 92, 175.

Snake-worship, 71.

Songs, 46, 311.

Soudan, 13.

Spirit-worship, 67, 70.

Stanley, H., 25.

Stealing, 143.

Steele, George, 253.

Stewart, James C. E., 25, 77, 123, 192.

Rev. Dr J., 77, 191.

Miss, 279, 284.

Stuart, Charles, 252, 299.

Student Volunteers, 258, 298.

Sutherland, Jas., 108, 112, 156, 209, 220.

Swann, Mr, 291.

Swazi, 19, 91.

Tampan Insect, 38.

Tanganyika, 25, 91, 19.

Tette, 20.

Thomson, Joseph, 260.

Tongaland, 19, 56, 78.

Tonga people, 124, 238.

Traditions, 171.

Tugela, 13.

Tumbuka, 23, 52, 78, 202, 282.

Uganda, 138.

Uitenhage, 188.

Ujiji, 26.

Umkurumqango, 68, 199.

INDEX

319

Umtusani, 197.
Umzila, 20.
Umziligazi, 20, 94.
Victoria Nyanza, 27.
ViUage, African, 33, 80.
Waller, Mount, 86.
Wanda, 78.
War-dances, 195-198.
Wars of the Tribes, 79.
Weniba, 91.

Witchcraft, 59, 153, 160, 223.
Williams, George, 154, 253.

Wiwa, 78.

Woman, 40, 42, 64, 273, 284.
Yao, 106.
Yohane Jere, 298.
Zambezi, 29.
Zimmerman, 215.
Ziugwa, 78.

Zongandaba, 16, 24, 118.
Zulu tribe, 13, 117.

Bible, 303.

Zumbo, 20.
Zwide, 16.

THE LIVINGSTONIA MISSION.

MISSIONARIES FROM SCOTLAND.

^There are 300 Native. Christian Teachers and Students.)

LIVINGSTONIA TRAINING
INSTITUTION.

Rev. Robert Laws, D.D,, M.D.

(Aber.), F.R.G.S., and Mrs Laws.
Rev. James Henderson, M. A.(Ed.)
Miss L. A. Stewart, Teacher.
Miss M. Jackson, Nurse.
Miss M. M'Callum, Nurse and

Teacher.
Mr W. Murray, Carpenter.
Mr W. Thomson, Printer, and Mrs

Thomson.
Mr W. D. MacGregor, Carpenter,

and Mrs MacGregor.
Mr M. Moffat, Agriculturist.
Mr W. J, Henderson, Artisan

Evangelist.

KARONGA.

Mr Robert Scott, M.B., Ch.M.

(Glas.)
Dr J. M. Henderson, Teacher.

NGONILAND— EKWENDENI.

DrW.A.ELMSLiE,M.B.,C.M.(Aber.),

F.R.G.S., and Mrs Elmslik.
Rev. Donald Eraser.
Mr Chas. Stuart, Teacher.

BANDAWE.

Rev. A. G. MacAlpine, and Mrs

MacAlpine.
Dr Geo. Prentice, L.R.C.P. & S.

(Edin.)
Mr R. D. MacMinn, Teacher,

MWENZO.

Rev. Alex. Dewar, F.R.G.S., and

Mrs Dewar.
Mr Peter McCallum, Artisan

Evangelist, and Mrs McCallum.

320

THE LIVINGSTONIA MISSION

COMMITTEE. (Meeting in Glasgow.)

FYom Foreign Missions Committee.

Right Hon. LORD OVERTOUN. 7 W. George St.. Glasgow. Convener

ROBERT M'CLURE. Esq., 145 St Vincent Street, Gl^s^o^ SeZj^.

Rev, Alex. Alexander, M.A.,
Dundee.

Mr W. L, Brown, B.L., Glasgow.

Colonel T. Cadell, V.C.Edinburgh.

Sir John Cowan, Bart., Beeslack.

Rev. J. Fairley Daly, B.D., Glas-
gow.

Mr Walter Duncan, Glasgow.
Mr W. Ferguson, LL.D., Kin-
mundy.

Rev. R. FoRGAN, B.D., Rothesay.
Sir William Henderson, LL.D.,
Aberdeen.

Rev. T. B. KiLPATRiCK, B.D.,
Aberdeen.

Rev. Prof. Lindsay, D.D., F.R.S.E.,
Glasgow.

Dr Loudon, Hamilton.
Mr D. Maclean, Glasgow.
Rev. Alex. Miller, B.D., Buckie.
Dr John Moir, Edinburgh.
Rev. Prof. Robertson, D.D.
Aberdeen. '

Mr Joseph C.Robertson, Glasgow.

Mr Joseph Russell, Port-Glasgow.

Rev. R. J. Sandeman, D.D.

Edinburgh. '

Dr George Smith, C.LE.,F.R,G.s
Edinburgh. ' ' ''

Rev. A. SouTAR, M.A., Thurso.
Rev. J. Stalker, D.D., Glasgow.
Mr John Stephen, Glasgow.
Ordained Missionaries on furlough.

From
Mr Gilbert Beith, Glasgow.
Mr Thomas Binnie, Glasgow.
Mr Robert Brodie, Glasgow.
Mr Hugh Brown, Glasgow.
Rev. James BROWN,M.A.,Glasgow.
Mr James Campbell, Tullichewan.
Rev. Joseph Corbett, D.D.,
Glasgow.

Mr Hugh Davidson, Lanark.
Rev. R. Hill, M.A., Renfrew.
Rev. R. Howie, M.A., Govan.
Mr Charles C. Duncan, Dundee.
Mr Andrew Hutcheson, Perth.
Mr T. R. Johnstone, Glasgow.
Mr Robert M'Clure, Secretary,
Glasgow.

MacEwen, D.D.,
Bridge-of-

Glasgow,

Rev. A. R.

Glasgow.

Rev. James Miller,
Allan.

Mr Stodart J. Mitchell, Aber-
deen.

Mr Fred. L. M. Moir, Glasgow.

Rev. G. Reith, D.D., Glasgow.

Mr A. Ellison Ross, S.S.C,

Treasurer, Edinburgh.
Mr A. SoMERviLLE, B.Sc, F.L.S.,

Glasgow.

Mr James Stevenson, F.R.G.S.,
Largs.

Mr James Thin, Edinburgh.
Rev. James Wells, D.D., Glasgow.

General Treasurer.

ALEXANDER ELLISON ROSS, Esq.,

Free Church Offices, Edinburgh.

BW9640.E48

Among the wild Ngoni; being some

Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library

1 1012 00039 6160